Willing to wait
by SLs-short-words
Summary: JONAS - When Macy realises she has a crush on Kevin, she decides that she's willing to wait until her affection fades away rather than to try and make anything happen.  KACY
1. Chapter 1: Wrong song

**Disclaimer**: Not my characters. Not my show. But it does help to have seen the first season to really follow this story.

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**Chapter 1: Wrong Song**

The odd thing about it was that Macy had never considered herself to be delusional. She knew that people perceived her adoration/obsession with JONAS as odd, but was also aware of her limits and boundaries. She didn't imagine that she would ever meet them and marry them or make them adore her as she did them. She was just a super fan, and like with everything else in her life, gave everything she had to her passion.

Then she met them. Best friend Stella confessed that she knew the guys, and when they came to Horace Mantis, dared introduced Macy to them. Even then, she didn't let her adoration get the better of her. She hoped that they would one day consider her a friend, if at least an acquaintance, but she didn't pretend that they were going to see something in her that no other boy did and fall madly in love with her.

She was a fan, she was even president of their fan club, but she was not delusional.

At least that's what she thought until Penny happened.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

At the first sight of Nick with Penny, Macy realised that she loved smitten-Nick. There was nothing more adorable than the boy who always managed to act so cool and collected suddenly flustered and shy. He was adorable and a small part of Macy hoped that his love would remain quietly unrequited for a while longer so she could witness more of smitten-Nick, not to mention hear whatever musical masterpiece his emotions would produce.

Her affection for smitten-Nick only reinforced her conviction that she was not dangerously obsessed with the boys of JONAS, but simply loved them as the musical trio they were. After all, she also had a fondness for the drama that was Joella and hoped that the two would one day work through whatever issues were keeping them apart. And as for Kevin… Well, Kevin didn't have any girl in his life at the moment, but if he did—

And then her stomach churned.

If Kevin fell for someone—

Her throat dried.

If Kevin was in love—

Her eyes welled with tears.

And there went the theory that the line she had drawn between adoration and affection was strong and resilient.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Once she got over the initial shock of her realisation, Macy decided there was only one thing to do. She would wait. She would wait until her heart caught up to her brain and realised that she would never have a chance with Kevin and should simply give up all hope.

Surely she could continue playing the happy-go-lucky fan in the meantime. Realising her slight bias for Kevin, she'd just have to be sure that she showed the other boys as much, if not more, attention than she did the object of her affection.

It was for this reason that Macy attacked Joe and not Kevin when Stella had her test the Stellcro on the boys' clothes. Though honestly, it had taken all her willpower not to use the excuse to get her hands on Kevin.

Everything was fine, though. She could do this. Really. She could.


	2. Chapter 2: Groovy Movies

**Disclaimer: **Still not my characters or show.

Thanks for all the reviews and the alert subscriptions. They make me smile.

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**Chapter 2: Groovy Movies**

And so she waited. And waited. And waited.

And nothing happened.

There was absolutely nothing to convince her that Kevin was in any way interested in her. Yet at the same time, her affection for him did nothing but grow.

It was useless. She was hooked.

So, Macy was thrilled when she heard about the week-long hockey tournament that was happening out of town. She'd be away from the boys and have her opportunity to get over this crush that had probably stayed with her so long simply because she saw the object of her affection every day.

Besides, the hockey tournament was for guys and girls teams. Maybe she could just find herself some buff hockey player who would quickly and easily get her mind off of Kevin.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

But Macy had no idea how far the JONAS charm could reach, and she hadn't been expecting Stella to meddle either. Of course, Stella didn't know how deep Macy's affection ran for one of the JONAS boys, and so she couldn't be blamed, but still, the e-mails she was sending Macy daily, if not hourly, were driving the girl insane.

Kevin in shorts and cowboy boots? Seriously? How was she supposed to hear about that and not swoon?

Every scene the boys played out that Stella would meticulously describe for Macy tugged at the girl's heart, not to mention the fact that the sorrow and guilt they felt for what had happened to their mother's beloved video tapes was more endearing than anything Macy could imagine.

Seriously, where was that hot hockey player when she needed him?

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

She finally found one in Ethan. Ethan was a senior who played for a school hockey team a few towns down from where Macy lived. He'd been attending the tournament for three years, and he'd quickly ducked under her stick when a picture of Kevin in his cowboy gear from Stella popped up on her phone and she'd lost control of her equipment. He'd helped her gather her things and asked her if she wanted to go to dinner with him. She was more than ready for the distraction.

Things went fairly well. Macy was mostly paying attention to him, and only let herself get distracted twice by her telephone, hoping it was Stella with some more photos of the boys—it wasn't, and so she'd been able to quickly move on.

Ethan seemed relatively sweet and though she'd been a little wary of him at first, being all too aware of what some senior jock boys were like, she couldn't help but think he might be an exception to the rule. He hadn't pulled out her chair for her or offered to let her order first as she knew the Lucas boys would have, but he did seem to listen when she talked, and didn't stare off at other girls during their night out.

And then the topic of music had come up.

"Wait, you like that JONAS thing?"

"They're a band."

"Kind of," Ethan said with a shrug.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, seriously, do you really think they play their own instruments, or that they sound that good?"

And that was the end of Ethan.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Hey, you're back."

Macy's eyes widened in surprise at the sound of Kevin's voice and his arm wrapping around her shoulder.

"Yep."

"How was the hockey thing?"

"You knew I was at a hockey thing?"

"Sure." He shrugged as he released her from his hold so that she could open her locker and get the books she needed. "I was looking for you to help me with this lasso thing, and Stella told me where you were when I couldn't find you."

"You were looking for me?"

"I mean," Kevin continued as though she had never spoken, "I know it's kind of weird, but I thought you might be good with a lasso since you're good at everything else that's sports related anyway."

"Me?"

"Yeah." He paused and picked up the book she dropped, somehow managing not to hit him with it when it had slipped from her hands. "Are you any good with a lasso?"

"Yeah."

"Cool. You should teach me sometime."

"Okay."

"Okay." And then he was gone. And Macy fainted.

If there had been any regrets about not ignoring her and Ethan's different tastes in music, it and all other thoughts of the boy she'd met were quickly chased from her mind. Kevin had touched her. Kevin had thought about her during her absence. Kevin had asked her for her help.

She was fairly certain this was what heaven felt like.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Are you okay, Macy?"

She looked up for her lunch, surprised that she was suddenly surrounded by three Lucas boys and Stella.

"Sure," she answered, if by okay they meant completely depressed by the fact that she had just managed to fall even more for Kevin when she was convinced that she was going to find some way to get over him.

"It's okay," Joe said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "I understand."

"You do?"

"I do. I completely understand. You missed me. You're in love with me, and so being away from me for so long was hard on you."

"What?" Macy asked, trying to ignore the look Stella was shooting her that obviously offered bad news if what Joe was saying was true.

"It's okay, Macy. I understand. You'll get over it eventually, and for now, we're just all going to have to live with your love for me."

"We are?"

"We are. And I promise you that things won't be weird between us just because you're in love with me. A lot of people are in love with me. I'll let you think about it." He patted her shoulder and headed off, God only knew where.

"Okay, that was weird," Stella said as she watched Joe walk away.

"But he is right, Mace. You do look sad. Did you not like your camp?"

Macy blushed as she felt three sets of eyes on her.

"Yeah... I just... I'm sad it's over."

Stella shrugged. Kevin offered her a sympathetic smile. Nick narrowed his eyes.

"I am glad to be home, though." And Macy allowed herself one last quick look at Kevin before she concentrated all her attention on her lunch.


	3. Chapter 3: Pizza Girl

**Disclaimer: **Not my characters or show. Shocking, I know.

Thanks as always for all the comments, reviews and reads.

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**Chapter 3: Pizza Girl**

Truth be told, Macy caught on much earlier than Stella did. In fact, Macy knew from the moment Kevin said that he was up against two players exactly who his competition was. After all, the only person who could actually distract anyone from Kevin would be someone in the same gene-pool. And though, as she'd said before, she was in no way delusional, she dared for a second wish and hope that the person in question was her. From Nick's reaction to her approach, it wasn't, only to be confirmed by the Lucas brothers' stare when she dared suggest herself as the object of their affection.

So Macy made herself scarce for a while after their announcement that they would not fight over the pizza girl, because obviously they would, and she didn't want to be around for that. She didn't want to be there to see them argue, and she definitely didn't want to be there to see Kevin win the girl's heart and therefore shatter hers.

She was willing to wait out this crush and whatever would come of it, but watching from the front row simply sounded too painful.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

That didn't mean that she had to stay away from Maria, however. After all, the girl didn't even need to know who Macy was and Macy was curious to see what exactly it took to get the attention of all three JONAS members.

So, with just a little prodding of Stella, who was so upset about Joe's crush that she was babbling on without realising what she was saying anyway, Macy figured out where Maria worked and ordered herself a pizza.

Her heart sank at the delivery.

Maria was tall and beautiful and had a gorgeous voice, and... Well, Macy could see why the guys had fallen for the girl. She just didn't see how that helped her in life. Unless, of course, she used this as positive reinforcement. This is what the boys liked, and this is what Macy was not. She really had to get over her Kevin fantasies and move on to something realistic. She'd been telling herself that all along anyway.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"What's with all the questions?" Maria finally asked after she'd been standing in Macy's doorway for twenty minutes, answering random questions.

"I... really like pizza."

"Okay."

"And I want a job like yours. I think being a pizza delivery girl would be the most awesome thing in the world. I'm just trying to see if I'd fit in..."

"Well, we do have an opening."

Macy was never good under pressure. And she was even worse at turning people down.

"Great."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

So Macy got a job at Picarillo's. She lasted a week before Maria asked her if she was enjoying it, and Macy admitted that she simply couldn't handle the work. School and sports and helping her mother at the store and a job were simply too much. And though Macy had to admit that Maria was pretty cool, she knew that not enough of that would rub off on her to make the boys of JONAS notice her and therefore keep her going back to the awful pizza joint day after day.

"Not everyone is made for pizza," Maria said with a shrug as she took Macy's hat back.

"Yeah," Macy sighed. Though to be perfectly honest, it wasn't the fact that she wasn't made for the job that bothered her most. She gave Maria one last good-bye, admitting to herself that she would never be like the girl who had stirred up affection from the three boys she loved best.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Hey Macy, where have you been?"

"Math class," Macy said as she joined her friends at the lunch table.

"No, not now," Kevin answered with a chuckle. "These past few weeks. You haven't been joining us for lunch lately. No one's been listening to my stories about the chipmunks."

"Sorry. I was trying to get ahead on homework. I was having a hard time keeping up with school, sports, my mom's store and a job."

"You got a job?" Joe asked.

"Yeah. I was working at a pizza place for a while, but I just couldn't handle it with the rest of my schedule."

"You work at a pizza place? Which one?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. We need a new pizza place now that we're over Picarillo's."

"You're over Picarillo's?" Macy asked Kevin.

"So over Picarillo's."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Stella chimed in with a grin that was far too wide to be completely innocent.

"Oh, well, I don't work there anymore, so it doesn't matter."

"Pizza wasn't good?" Nick asked, and Macy realised that they hadn't made the connection between her and Picarillo's despite the slip in her last sentence.

"Something like that."

"Oh, well, I guess it's Chinese for a while then," Kevin shrugged.

Once again Macy spent the lunch hour with the uncomfortable feeling of Nick's eyes on her. Worse still was the fact that they would both have a free period together as soon as the bell would ring.

Macy rose with all her friends as they headed out to their classes, but was held back by Nick's hand on her arm.

"So where were you working?"

"What?"

"The pizza place. You never told us the name."

"Didn't I?"

"And you're still avoiding the question."

Macy rolled her eyes and sighed. "I was actually working at Picarillo's."

"I knew it."

"You did?"

Nick shrugged. "Okay, maybe I didn't know that exactly, but I knew there was something about this job you didn't want us to know, or else we would have heard about it while you still had the job."

"Well, I just... You know... It never came up."

"Uh huh."

"And plus I didn't want Joe to think I got the job because of him. He doesn't need any more reasons to think I'm in love with him."

"Macy, you can tie your shoe and Joe will think you're doing it because you're in love with him; that's just the way Joe is."

"I know, but I don't think Stella's coping well with him thinking I'm in love with him, so I don't want to encourage that."

"Well, I'm sure you could shut him up by telling him why you got the job."

He was smirking. Macy could clearly see that he was smirking, and she knew that could only mean that Nick Lucas knew something she didn't quite understand yet.

"I'll try that."

"Try it with me. Why did you get a job at Picarillo's, Macy?"

"Extra money."

"It had to be at Picarillo's?"

"Yes."

"Why there?" He offered her a genuine smile and leaned forward.

"They had an opening."

"And nowhere else did?"

"I have homework. I have to go do it."

Nick's smile widened and he waved her away.

"Then by all means, don't let me keep you from your homework."

She still didn't trust his confidence, but Macy wasn't about to ignore the exit from the conversation he was offering her.

"You're as horrible a liar as Kevin is, by the way," Nick called after her.

Macy sighed. So on top of getting over her crush on Kevin, she'd apparently also have to work on avoiding ever being alone with Nick.


	4. Chapter 4: Keeping It Real

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters or show

Thanks for the comments and reviews. There wasn't very much Kacy interaction in the last chapter, but there's a little more in this one, and definitely more in those to come.

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**Chapter 4: Keeping it Real**

If she were to be completely honest, Macy would admit that there were some biases from her JONAS site followers. They tended to love one boy more than another, and that boy wasn't always Kevin. Still, it was Kevin that Macy told Stella the fans would like an interview of, because honestly, it was Kevin she wanted to chat with most. After all, maybe if she interviewed him and found out all the things that were never written about in the magazines, she would find that they were horribly incompatible and get over this silly little crush of hers.

That would only be possible, however, if she could get out more than one question an interview, and preferably something more insightful than who his favourite member of JONAS happened to be.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy decided that it be important that she be prepared. So, after her failed interview with Kevin, she got ready. She got one-hundred-and-thirty-five cue cards ready. She wasn't sure she would ever get to use them, but she would be ready should the opportunity arise. And even if it didn't, she could maybe slip her questions into conversations here in there.

If she could stop herself from fainting that is.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Never had she wished that she did yoga more than three days later when Macy saw those three boys standing before her in her mother's shop. If there was ever a time for her to have been practiced in breathing exercises, this was the moment.

She thought perhaps she'd heard herself say hello, but she was truly blanking on what was happening, concentrating on simply staying upright and not falling over in shock. It was going to be a long visit if she had to concentrate every single second on staying conscious.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

It took her more than an hour to get herself together and build up her courage, but finally, Macy dared ask Kevin if she could continue the interview they had started earlier. She ignored the confused look on his face, simply happy that he had said yes. That was enough for her.

She worked the questions over and over again without really thinking that she would ever have a chance to finally ask them. Really, she knew them all by heart, but she didn't dare stare at Kevin the entire time they spoke; that would probably be as awkward for her as it would be for him.

And of course the questions that had been shuffled over and over again would have to start with a personal one that put her off more than it put him off. Would he ever kiss a girl on the first date? What if he said yes? Really that meant that the only thing between her and a kiss from Kevin could be one single date. Just one yes to an outing from his part and she could be on her way to finally finding out if his lips were as magical as she imagined them to be.

Maybe. She couldn't be sure because she fainted.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Her mother insisted that she take things easy for the rest of the evening when she'd learned how many times Macy had fainted throughout the day. Mother Misa was not aware that this wasn't a rare occurrence for her daughter and Macy wasn't about to tell her. The last thing she needed was for her mother to ban her from hanging out with the boys for her own safety.

Despite her mother's worry, Macy was not excused from having to clean the store the next day. It was a long job, but Macy didn't mind when it gave her an excuse to do nothing but dream about her previous day and the adventure it had brought.

She smiled when she found her question cards on the counter where she had dropped them, pleased at her almost interview with Kevin even if once again it hadn't gone off quite as she wanted. She flipped through the cards and her lost chance, surprised when she suddenly found scribbles on them.

He'd answered the questions.

He'd answered her questions.

She completely forgot about her task and sat on the floor of her mother's store, reading every single one of those answers. She had no idea how long she was sitting there reading about Kevin before the bell over the door of the store let her know that someone had arrived.

"Hello, may I... Nick?"

"May you Nick?" he asked her, a smirk on his lips.

"No. I mean. Hello, may I help you? Hi, Nick."

"Well then, yes and hi, Macy."

There was a moment of silence between them as Nick continued to smirk and Macy waited for him to say something more.

"What are you doing here?"

"We forgot a bag," Nick said as he held up the bag in his hands.

"And you dared bring it over?"

"Big Man's outside. Besides, fans don't seem to think that we would hit the same place twice when we get attacked the first time. I should be pretty safe."

"Okay," Macy shrugged, still in too much shock to really process anything.

"The store looks pretty good."

"Yeah, I've been cleaning all morning."

"Sorry." Nick cringed.

"Oh, no. That's okay. I was going to be working here anyway. This just made it a little less boring, I guess."

"Okay, well, I'd offer to help, but you look like you're pretty much done."

She nodded.

"So I guess I'll go."

"Well, thanks for the clothes."

"Oh wait," Nick spun on his heels as he'd turned toward the door, and searched his pockets. "Kevin wanted me to give you these. There were a few questions that he wanted to think over before he answered."

"My questions."

"Your questions. He would have brought them himself, but he thought he could get around the fans two days in a row... Let's just say he's resting after a really long jog."

Macy couldn't help the smile on her face at the thought of Kevin. She tried not to think about fans attacking him.

"And how did Joe get out of this?"

"He said he didn't want to do anything that would make you fall even more in love with him when you should be heading in the other direction."

"He's delusional."

"And I think I've almost figured out why."

"What?"

"Nothing. I should go. I'll see you at school, Macy."

"Okay. Bye, Nick."

Macy shook her head at herself as he left. It should not have been that much easier to talk to a JONAS simply because Kevin wasn't around. Shame on her.

She leaned her elbows on the counter and went through the questions.

Would he kiss a fan on the first date? _Where would be the surprise if he answered?_

What was his favorite school subject? _Lunch_

What would he be if he wasn't a rock star? _A high school student_

Would he ever date a fan? _Only the right one_

Macy sighed. That was definitely not helping.


	5. Chapter 5: Band's Best Friend

**Disclaimer: **Not my characters or shows.

Thanks for reviews and comments. Finally, a little Kevin and Macy interaction in this one.

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Chapter 5: Band's Best Friend

"I'd stay away from the guys for a while if I were you," Stella said as she let her body lean back against the lockers next to Macy. Her friend's eyes widened at the statement.

"Why? Are they mad at me? What did I do?"

Stella chuckled as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"No, of course not. You would never do anything to them and they know it. It's just Joe's friend is in town and he's a real pain. If I were you, I would avoid them as much as possible until he finally leaves. I mean, the guy once ruined my purse for no good reason."

Macy smiled. If there was one way to get into Stella's bad graces, it was to mess with one of her accessories.

"Okay," Macy shrugged.

"Okay? That's it? You're not going to complain or cry or stalk them or anything like that? You're just going to stay away from them for a while?"

"Yeah."

"Are you feeling okay?" Stella asked as she reached out to touch Macy's forehead.

"I'm feeling fine. I just think that it wouldn't be such a bad idea for me to put some distance between me and the guys. I mean, I have a life too and I have to make sure not to neglect it, right?"

Stella smiled and looped her arm around Macy's shoulder.

"Right. Besides, I'm going to need someone to entertain me while I stay away from the guys."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy tried her best to do as Stella had suggested. She tried as hard as she could to stay away from the guys and not even think about them.

Her resolve lasted half a day. She blamed her fight with Stella over the Joe-chip and consequential lack of distraction for not being able to stay away longer.

She watched them from afar. She watched as Joe's friend wreaked havoc in the boys' lives and as Nick and Kevin did their best to avoid him, even if it meant leaving Joe to deal with all the damage by himself. She busied herself as much as she could with sports and her mother's store—finding two missing questions cards and learning that Kevin's only allergy was to fruit and that, while he thought it might be cool, he would never want a pet skunk named Stinky.

She worked on her JONAS books. The book of JONAS, book of Nick, book of Joe, and book of Kevin. Well, to be completely honest there were now two books of Kevin because the first one was full, but she tried to divide her attention equally between all four.

She also spent a lot of time deciding she needed a hobby, and then trying to find one that didn't involve the boys.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy walked down the hall, her mind focussed on whatever her mind could focus on that afternoon to keep her from stalking the JONAS boys, when a tug at her arm propelled her into the nearest classroom. She looked up in surprise as she tried to straighten her skirt.

"Kevin?" she asked when she finally recognized the person who had grabbed her.

"Shh."

"Kevin?" Macy said again, this time in a whisper.

"Hi."

Macy chuckled despite her confusion. "Hi. What are we doing?"

"We're hiding from the Shoe."

"Okay..."

"Joe's annoying friend."

"Oh, I see."

"So," Kevin said as he tugged at Macy's sleeve so she would move closer to him and hear his soft voice, "how come I haven't seen you all week?"

"Stella suggested I keep my distance."

"Why? What did she do?"

"Nothing. I believe 'the Shoe' would be the reason for her suggestion."

"Oh, makes sense. If I could avoid him, I would too."

"You are avoiding him."

Kevin gave her a puzzled look, then laughed when he realised she was right.

"Well, I miss you. No one else is paying attention to my otter stories. We should do something."

"We should," Macy smiled.

"Tomorrow?"

"I can't. Volleyball tournament."

"Out of town?"

"Here."

"Interesting."

Macy narrowed her eyes as Kevin seemed to get lost in thought.

"Kevin?"

"Huh? Oh. Well, maybe some other time, okay?"

"Sounds good."

"Okay. Well, I'm going to try to get to class without being noticed. Wish me luck."

"Luck," Macy whispered as Kevin opened the classroom door.

She sighed once he had left her by herself in the room. Of course staying away from the boys couldn't have been an easy task.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

And then suddenly, Macy didn't have to put any effort in wanting to stay away from the boys. She was so mad, that she didn't want to be anywhere near them.

There were very few things in life that Macy took more seriously than her love and affection for the boys of JONAS, but sports were definitely one of them, and the mere thought that they had sabotaged one of her games got Macy so angry that she stayed far away from the guys, afraid that the next time she injured them, it wouldn't be by accident.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Are you coming to the party?"

"No."

"No?" Stella asked in surprise as she tried to decide between a sky blue and a pastel blue shirt.

"No."

"Turns out Carl's not that bad, you know. I think it'll be safe for one night."

"I don't care."

"It would be your chance to hang out with the guys at their house, Macy."

"No."

"But—"

"Just no, Stella."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Hey. How come I haven't seen you around, Macy?" Kevin asked three days later when he bumped into Macy at her locker.

Macy said nothing, only narrowing her eyes at him.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"I've been busy," Macy answered in short, hard words.

"Wow, who's got you this mad?"

Macy somehow narrowed her eyes some more.

"Me?" Kevin asked, his voice high and worried.

Macy shrugged.

"What did I do?"

Macy pursed her lips.

"Is this about the chip and dip?"

Macy shook her head and turned away from Kevin.

"Hey, wait." Kevin grabbed Macy's arm and pulled her back to him. She didn't quiver or stutter or shiver at his touch. "I can't fix it if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Macy shrugged again.

"I want to fix it, Macy. Please tell me what's wrong."

"I didn't tell you I had a game so that you could throw Carl at it and have the tournament cancelled when the girls broke our volleyball net trying to capture him."

Kevin winced. "I didn't think of it that way."

"Obviously."

"I'm sorry, Macy." His hand slipped down from where he'd still been holding her arm until he could grasp her hand. "I really am. I know how upset I would be if someone ruined one of our concerts. I didn't mean to wreck one of yours."

Macy sighed. She hated how hard it was to stay mad at Kevin.

"I promise I'll make it up to you."

"How?"

"I don't know yet, but I promise I will. Please don't be mad until I do. I don't want you to be mad at me for however long it's going to take me to think of something brilliant."

Macy rolled her eyes. "I'm still a little mad at you."

"A little is okay for now." He looped his arm around Macy's shoulder and guided them down the hall. "It won't last for long though, right?"

Macy could only roll her eyes once again. Unfortunately, when it came to Kevin, it wouldn't last for long no matter how hard she tried.


	6. Chapter 6: Chasing the Dream

**Disclaimer: **Not my characters. Not my show.

Thanks for all comments and reply. A bit of filler on the way to chapters that will develop the story a little more.

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Chapter 6: Chasing the Dream

There were many things that surprised Macy about her conversation with Kevin when he invited her to sing with him and his brothers. It surprised Macy that Kevin hadn't needed medical attention after their encounter. It surprised her that she was able to sustain a conversation without fainting. It surprised her that she could talk so confidently about her singing when she'd always suspected that she wasn't really all that great despite what Stella said. After all, if Macy really believed in her singing, she would have done something about it by this point.

She was also shocked at how willing Kevin was to help her, and thrilled when she found her arms wrapped around him.

It was a great way to start the week.

Macy simply didn't know just how full of surprises the week would be.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy had been walking on cloud number nine since her talk with Kevin. She was going to be singing on a JONAS album. She'd never even dreamed anything so exciting could happen. Not only that, but Kevin Lucas himself was going to spend time with her to help her with her vocals. It was more than she could handle and Macy quietly wondered how it was that she hadn't spent the time since their encounter fainting each time she remembered.

She was so busy thinking about it, that she didn't notice the other people around her in the hall, and bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry."

"You should be."

Macy scrunched her nose. Of course this would be the person she had to run into. The one girl in school that wouldn't forgive Macy for the bump and probably accuse her of having done it on purpose.

"It was an accident, Kathy. Get over it."

"You did it on purpose."

"Whatever."

Macy shrugged and continued on her way.

"That's right. Walk away. Like the scared little girl that you are."

Macy took a deep breath. Personally, she liked to keep her competitive side on the field or ice or court or whatever other surface she happened to be playing on. Her teammate Kathy was of a different philosophy. Especially when it came to Macy, the one girl who seemed to beat her at every sport year after year, whether they were on the same team or not.

"I suppose you think you're too good for me now that you're going to be on a JONAS album."

Macy froze.

"How did you know about that?"

"Please, everyone knows about that. Everyone except you also knows that Stella must have talked those boys into it, because there's no way they would have invited you by themselves since all you ever do is injure them."

"Stella wasn't even around when Kevin got the idea."

"Oh, and that's right, Kevin was the one who offered you the gig. You know, the JONAS member that no one really likes."

Macy saw red and was fairly certain that the sound that came out of her mouth could have been qualified as a growl.

"That's not true, and you know it."

"Um, actually, it is true."

"Fans love Kevin. They adore him and his spins... and, they love him."

"No. Maybe you love him, but most fans," Kathy shrugged, "they could probably do without him."

And then Macy wasn't quite sure what it was that she was yelling, but she knew that she was yelling it loudly and there seemed to be something about a hockey puck and a head, and she'd stormed away before Kathy had a chance to add anything more.

It was only hours later that Macy realized that her friends had probably been only a few feet away from her and would have heard the entire thing. She didn't know how she was going to face them, and what she would say should they ask what she had been so angry about.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Then Kevin fainted. Surely she couldn't be that bad. Sure, Macy had been worrying all day that she was a horrible singer, but Stella would have told her if it was that awful, and if Stella couldn't, Kevin would tell her.

She decided to believe him when he told her she was fine. Sure, his voice was high and he was obviously hiding something, but he would tell her if she was horrible. Right?

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

She had nightmares about her songs knocking Kevin out from then on. Worse still, when she searched him out the next morning to ask him again if he was sure that she could handle singing on their record, he seemed to be avoiding her. She couldn't find him anywhere, and when she did think she had spotted him, he was just a wisp of material floating away from her.

Eventually all three boys came to her, and Macy was so surprised by seeing them there, by the fact that she didn't hit any of them, and by Nick actually smiling at her for once, that she completely forgot all her fears.

That is until the second they left her locker, and then, all she had was her fears for the rest of the afternoon.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

And yet none of her nightmares were as bad as the real thing. Never in any of her horrible dreams had she imagined that all three boys and Stella were lying to her; that they thought she was terrible and that they all seemed to pity her. She wasn't sure which of those three things bothered her the most, but she knew that it was enough to cut down her hunger for the weekend, make her lose her concentration during a Saturday sports practice (giving Kathy the winning edge), and force her to shed enough tears to exhaust her into early sleep twice.

She didn't know how she was going to face the boys on Monday.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Hey."

Macy looked up in surprise at the voice. She thought she'd done a pretty good job of hiding herself from everyone. Apparently not.

"Hi."

"Do you mind?" Kevin asked, pointing to the floor next to her.

Macy shook her head and he took a seat beside her, ducking quickly so he wouldn't hit his head on the bleachers.

"How did you find me?"

Kevin shrugged. "I know you like to hide out here. I figured this is where you'd be."

"How do you know that?"

"I was running from the fans once. I thought this would be a good hiding place, but you were already using it."

"I don't remember that."

"You looked like you wanted to be alone. I didn't want to bother you."

"You should have bothered me," Macy told him with a smile. "I don't know what was wrong with me that day, but I'm sure you sitting next to me would have made it better."

"I haven't made the past few days better for you, that's for sure."

Macy shrugged.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I just... You seemed so happy when you sang. I didn't want you to be bad at it. I wanted you to keep being happy and keep doing it."

"Thank you," Macy told him, unable to find any other words to say.

Kevin shrugged. "Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were really okay, and weren't just pretending."

"I'm good." Macy smiled. "Really. I'm just happy this isn't going to make anything weird between us."

"Of course it won't." Kevin reached out and wrapped his arms around her for a minute. "Okay, I should go before Joe and Nick think I've left without them and get mad at me again. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Kevin."

She watched him leave, trying not to stare at him as he moved. Macy sat alone under the bleachers for a few moments, eventually deciding that Kevin was right. She was a bad singer. But she was a happy singer.

She wasn't delusional enough to think she may have him one day, but singing, she could have that if she was careful to have it all by herself.


	7. Chapter 7: Fashion Victim

**Disclaimer: **Still not my show or characters.

Smile for reviews and comments.

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Chapter 7: Fashion Victim

"Where were you this morning?" Macy asked when she finally spotted Stella with only a few minutes before the first bell would ring.

"Meeting with the guys. We're going to London next week, and their outfits have to be perfect."

"You're going to London?"

"Hello? How does their number one fan not know that the guys are being honoured by England royalty for their work? Oh my God, Macy, are you feeling all right? You didn't bump your head at your last game or anything, right?"

Macy ducked away from Stella as the girl reached a hand out to touch her forehead. Truthfully, after her little session on the gym floor with Kevin and him finding her when she'd decided that he was right and that she did love singing enough to find a quiet spot in the atrium to belt her heart out, she was right back at square one. Her affection for Kevin hadn't lessened in the slightest.

So she'd decided on a slight hiatus. She'd gotten one of the JONAS-heads to take over her site for some time, claiming that she wanted to see if there was anyone who would be able to act as her backup should she ever need to be away. She'd stayed clear of everything JONAS. And now, apparently, they were going to help by leaving the country.

"Right." Macy shrugged. "It must have just slipped my mind. I'm distracted by a big game coming up."

"Okay," Stella answered slowly, but Macy could tell that her friend wasn't buying it. Luckily, Van Dyke chose that precise moment to show up and ask Stella if they could chat. Macy slunk away before Stella could remember she had ever even been there.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Are you mad at me?"

Seriously, how often was she going to have this conversation with Kevin?

"Of course not."

"Are you sure? I haven't made it up to you about the volleyball game yet, and I know that, but it's coming. I promise. I just have to think of something good first."

Macy chuckled. "I think I would know if I were angry at you."

Kevin sighed and sat next to her on the bench in the atrium. "Then why are you avoiding us? And why is your fan site so... weird these days?"

"My fan site is weird?"

"Yeah, and not in the way Nick usually thinks it's weird that you have a fan site."

Macy smiled a little at the thought of Nick's reaction to her site. "To be honest I haven't been on the site lately. I'm kind of training someone to be my understudy if ever I can't update the site, so I've just been avoiding it... and you. You know? That way when I look at it again I can see if they did a good job and I know everything I missed or if I'm not informed at all."

"So you're definitely not mad?"

"Definitely not."

"Good. I didn't want to get on a plane with you mad at us. I wouldn't want to die in plane crash if you were mad at me."

"I wouldn't want you to die in a plane crash under any circumstances."

Kevin sighed loudly. "That's good."

"Yeah."

"So, we're leaving for London tomorrow, and it would be a shame if we didn't make up for some of the time you were ignoring us before then. I'm supposed to go to the movies with Nick tonight, but do you want to do something until then?"

"Me?"

Kevin smiled. "Of course you. I missed you. No one else listens to my stories, you know."

"So I've heard. I think they just don't understand how good your stories are. That's all."

"Well, I have a ton saved up for you." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up, guiding her away from the atrium. "Oh, and one more thing, Macy."

"Yeah?"

"Can you please take back your fan site and fix it? Whoever has it right now sucks."

Macy laughed. "Yeah, after all, I'll need something to keep me busy while you're all out of the country."

"Perfect."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy wrapped herself up in her fan site for what was the forty-eight hours the boys were gone. Kevin was right. It was a mess.

At least it gave her something to use as a distraction as her core four friends were away. That, and the fact that she had to keep reminding herself to pay as much attention on news of Joe and Nick as she paid to any word that was being said of Kevin. Though really, she was sure she was making progress. All right, she hoped she was making progress.

When she did need a rest, she turned her attention to her life-size mosaic of the boys.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Macy! I asked for a pop-up of me and Van Dyke!"

"Yeah, and I... Oh, that's Joe with you there, isn't it?"

Stella scowled at her friend.

"What? It's not my fault if you and Joe look better together."

"Whatever," Stella huffed, stuffing the piece of paper in her bag. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you."

"For the pop-up?"

"No, for not commenting on Joe's horrible outfit on your site."

"Joe's outfit?"

"You couldn't have missed all those pictures from England."

"No, I saw."

Macy's brow furrowed. She had definitely seen the pictures of the boys in London. And honestly, she could have described what Kevin was wearing to the most minute detail, but Joe... he had been there too, right?

"Come on, Macy. Please tell me you understand that this looks horrible, otherwise we have a lot of work to do."

Macy grabbed the magazine Stella was pointing in her direction and cringed at the sight of Joe in the outfit Stella had given him.

"No, I definitely know this is bad."

"Good. So about my other pop-up..."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy was putting what she hoped were the last touches on her site. She was fairly certain that it was finally back to 100% after her absence.

"Macy, Macy, Macy."

She looked up at the feel of Joe's arm falling around her shoulder.

"Joe? Joe? Joe?"

He nodded. "I heard about the pop-up."

"Stella's?"

"The pop-up, Macy."

"Okay."

"No, Macy. I don't know if it is okay."

"Don't worry, Joe. Stella will always like you more than she likes Van Dyke."

"What?"

From the way the word came out high and quick, Macy knew she had said something wrong.

"What?"

"What about Van Dyke?"

Macy narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You made a pop-up of me."

"I made a pop-up of you and Stella."

Joe continued talking as though Macy had never said anything. "I don't know what we're going to do. This crush of yours isn't going away."

"My crush?" There was no way Joe knew. Let's face it, Stella or Nick would figure out her Kevin situation way before Joe ever would.

"Yes, and while it's flattering, I really think we should stay friends."

Macy tried not to roll her eyes. "You're right. I will try harder to get over you."

"Okay." Joe nodded and leaned toward her. He paused, his arms poised to wrap around her. "I'm going to hug you now, but it's just as friends."

"I understand."

They hugged, Joe giving her a tight squeeze and patting her back as he let go.

"Okay. I'm going to let you think about that."

"Thank you, Joe."

"You're welcome, Macy."

Somehow she waited until he was out of hearing before she started laughing.


	8. Chapter 8: That Ding You Do

**Disclaimer: **Not my characters. Not my show.

Thanks for the reviews that let me know someone's still reading!

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Chapter 8: That Ding You Do

It had been a bad morning from the very start.

First she'd woken up extremely happy from a dream she'd had, only to remember that she shouldn't be dreaming about Kevin and was trying to wear away her affection for him. Then her hair hadn't wanted to do anything. And her favourite pair of socks was nowhere to be found. Her father was grumpy about something at work. Then some fan had complained that she needed to update the pictures on her site. On top of all that, she had, for reasons beyond her understanding, agreed to Stella's ridiculous bet.

Okay, so part of her had thought it would be easy. After all, she spent all her time avoiding saying anything about her affection for Kevin. How hard could it be to not say anything about any of the JONAS members?

Apparently, the answer to that was very hard.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Luckily for Macy, she was swarmed with practices that day, and not only did she have an excuse not to hang around Stella and the boys, but she also had a reason to not even think about the guys. Her coaches were driving her so hard that she barely had time to think of anything at all. In fact, Macy had only made it to her room in time to flop down on her bed before she was out cold.

At least it kept the stupid bet out of her mind, even if it couldn't keep Kevin out of her dreams.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

What she needed was motivation, Macy decided. After all, her other competitions always involved some kind of prize at the end. That's what was missing from this bet with Stella. There was no promised prize for her to hold onto.

So, Macy made a deal with herself. Despite the fact that she was supposed to be weaning herself off her affection for Kevin, she decided that if she won, she would allow herself one day of being the crazed fan she really wanted to be. One day of ogling the man she loved as much as she wanted, and of letting herself believe that something could actually happen between them.

With that kind of prize on the line, Macy felt confident in her ability to win, even when she could feel the weight of Stella's cell phone in her purse.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Then she fainted.

It wasn't her fault though, Macy was quick to tell herself.

Kevin was dancing. Okay, so later she would learn that it was some kind of signal for Joe, but to her, he was dancing.

Kevin was dancing in the hall. Hands moving, hips shaking, body contorting. She wasn't sure if the stunned expression Nick wore was because of his brother's dance moves or because Macy fainting behind them, but Kevin danced, she fainted, and about half an hour later she woke up on a bed in the nurse's office with Kevin petting her hand.

"You're awake."

"Yeah," Macy grumbled as she tried to sit up. She was quick to lie back down when a wave of dizziness crashed over her.

"Easy there. You took a hard knock to the head when you fell this time. Otherwise, you probably would have sprung right back up."

"Hmm."

"You should rest anyway. You've been practicing way too hard. We've hardly seen you these past few days."

"Right." Macy bit her lip, trying to keep herself from saying anything that would make her lose her bet with Stella.

"You work too hard, Macy."

"Like you're one to talk."

Kevin smiled.

"Well, girls like you aren't easy to impress, and we've got to do what we can to keep our super fans."

"JO—" she stopped herself short of saying something that would cost her her pride. "I feel better now."

"Are you sure?" Kevin asked, suddenly confused at her change of mood.

"Yeah. Let's go to class."

Kevin shrugged but grabbed both his and her bag. Macy took a deep breath and closed her mouth. It was the only way she knew she wouldn't be losing the bet anytime soon.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

The worst part about not being able to talk about the boys was that Macy couldn't ask questions about them. This meant that she was left in the dark about the cello-girl situation. She could clearly see that all three guys were working hard at getting the girl's attention. She simply didn't know if that was because they all liked her or if they wanted her to play cello for them. She hoped that this wasn't another pizza girl scenario, because Macy was well aware that she wouldn't be able to pull off playing the cello.

She watched from afar as the boys vied for the musician's attention, sitting in the auditorium as they played their revised version of The Blue Danube. Unfortunately, she could also see cello girl melt at the new composition.

Macy slunk lower in her seat. No talk of JONAS on the horizon, and worse still, the guys had apparently barely noticed she was avoiding them, too busy with the latest object of their affection.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Boo!"

Macy jumped a mile at the sound of the voice next to her ear. Her hand gripped at her chest as she tried to calm her breathing.

"Don't do that."

"Sorry. You've just been tailing me all day and I wanted to see if I could do the same to you."

"I didn't jump out and scare you to death."

Kevin shrugged. "I got bored. So, why have you been following me all day?"

"Have I?"

"Haven't you?"

It was Macy's turn to shrug. Kevin looked confused for a moment, then looped his arm around Macy's shoulder and led her toward the atrium.

"No practice this afternoon?"

"Oh, I'm kind of playing hooky."

"How come?"

Because I've allowed myself one day of ogling you as my prize and I'm not going to waste one second of it, Macy thought.

"I won the bet with Stella."

"So you won the day off from sports? Is that even a prize?"

"No... it's complicated. The winner just won. I was kind of looking for my own prize."

Kevin nodded.

"Well, if you're going to ditch, you should ditch right."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the zoo, and the park, and some of kind of non-school sports activity, and a chocolate taco. I have been craving chocolate tacos all week."

Macy smiled. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

"That's why you have me." Kevin held out his arm until Macy looped hers around it. "I will be your prize escort."

"Is there such a thing?"

"There is now. Ready?"

Macy smiled. So maybe she wouldn't be able to ogle Kevin when he was only a few inches from her, but an afternoon with the man in question would definitely be more than enough prize for her.

"Ready," she agreed.


	9. Chapter 9: Complete Repeat

**Disclaimer: **Story's mine, nothing else is.

Thanks for reviews and comments, as always. For anyone wondering, this is the order Wikipedia gives the episodes based on when they originally aired. That was a good enough order for me.

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**Chapter 9: Complete Repeat**

"You're avoiding Nick."

"Would you stop sneaking up on me!"

Kevin laughed as he sat next to Macy.

"Sorry, you just jump every time. It's hilarious."

"I don't get it. I have fantastic JONAS radar, yet you always seem to get by."

"I'm sneaky that way." Kevin shrugged. "Unlike you, who are completely obvious about the fact that you're avoiding Nick."

"I am not."

"You ran away when he turned the corner this morning."

Macy pouted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Fine. I'm avoiding Nick."

"Why?"

"Nick has a hard time being patient with me on the best of days. I don't want to know what he'll be like with me when he's angry because he has writer's block."

"I'm sure he'd be really happy to—" Kevin stopped at the glare Macy gave him. "Fine. You're right. You should really avoid him."

"Thank you."

"Does your JONAS radar work with Nick?"

"Like a charm," Macy nodded. "Like right now, he's across the school from us."

"Wow," Kevin breathed.

"I also know his class schedule. That helps."

"Well, since you're avoiding him anyway, you want to help me avoid him too?"

"You? Why?"

"If you think Nick has little patience with you, you should try living with him. Trust me. He'll chew my head off way faster than he would ever think of touching you."

Macy smiled. "Well, I suppose since I'm avoiding him already I can help you as well."

"Perfect. Let's get to."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

With Nick secluding himself from everyone for the day—probably afraid that he would blow up at them or that something terrible would happen—it was easy for Macy and Kevin to avoid him, save the few minutes Joe had pulled Kevin away to make sure that Nick was at least trying to write them a song.

After every class Kevin waited for Macy at the door of her classroom, and she was too happy with their proximity to dare wonder how it was he was getting to her from his classes before she even had time to get her books together. After all, Nick's bad mood wouldn't last forever and Kevin would eventually go back to having better things to do than follow her around.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"I don't see you for one day and this is what happens," Macy said as she sat down next to Kevin at the school lunch table, looking at his restricted foot.

"It's spackle."

"Okay. Do you want me to help you get it off?"

"No, it's awesome. I don't know what Nick was complaining about."

"Oh, you know Nick."

"I know Nick. That doesn't mean I understand him."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he got his song. He apologized to Amy who obviously wants him to ask her out again. He even got back on Stella's good side by getting her some new scarf she wanted."

"So?"

"So he's still pouting. I mean, I know he's trying to hide it, but it's way obvious. He's still not happy about something and I just can't figure out what."

"That's weird."

"Yep. So you want to help me avoid him again today?"

Macy smiled. "Sure."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy didn't have any actual classes with Nick, so it was easy enough to avoid him. She did, however, have a free period at the same time as he did, and while that made stalking him easier in the days before the boys knew her name, it didn't help when she was trying to stay away from him. In all the times they had been free together, however, she never once sought him out as she did that afternoon. She knew better than to look for Nick if Nick didn't want to be found.

"Hi."

"Hey," Nick answered, looking up from his guitar.

At least he hadn't shot her his impatient glare yet, though his expression was far from happy.

"Are you okay?"

"Sure."

"Because apparently you've broken your writer's block, but still aren't happy."

Nick shrugged.

"You didn't break your writer's block, did you?"

"I wrote a song."

"And then?"

"And then I was back to stuck. It was just that one moment when it worked. I'm afraid to tell Joe and Kevin, because God only knows what they'll make me do this time."

"I heard. Sorry you have a rough day."

Nick scrunched his brow at her words.

"Yeah, I didn't see you on either of those days. Where have you been?"

"Well, on the first day Kevin and I were avoiding you because you were in a bad mood, and on the second you couldn't run into me because you hadn't the day before, so I stayed away."

"You and Kevin were avoiding me?"

"You're kind of scary at times, Nick."

He smiled his first real smile that day.

"Sorry."

Macy shrugged. "It's okay."

"So what did you and Kevin do while hiding from me?"

Macy couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. "Oh, you know me and Kevin. We just hung out. We talked about whatever came to mind, and watched the clouds, and he told me stories about when you guys were younger and we just..." Macy paused as she could feel Nick's stare focus more intently on her. "What?"

"Keep going."

"What?"

"Keep talking."

"Why?"

"Just do it, please."

"Okay... Well, he walked me to my classes, and we snuck under the bleachers for lunch and—"

"Thanks, Macy. I'm sorry to interrupt but I have to go before I lose this."

"Lose what?"

"The sound of you completely in love with my brother."

"What? I'm not—"

"You are. And it's perfect. You've just given me the inspiration I was missing. You can tell me the rest later, okay?"

He was running off before she could stop him.

She shook her head. Of course she wasn't in love with Kevin. She was much too reasonable for that. She just had a little crush she was slowly getting over. At least, she hoped Nick would believe so before he talked to his eldest brother.


	10. Chapter 10: Love Sick

**Disclaimer: **Still not my characters or show.

Thanks for reads and reviews as always. A bit of a challenge to justify why Macy turned Randolph into Nick...

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**Chapter 10: Love Sick**

Kevin Lucas was doing backflips in the school hallway.

Macy reminded herself to breathe.

She had never seen Kevin this... up front. He usually stuck to the background, even off to the side when he was spinning around with guitar in hand. But there he was, surrounded by girls and screaming for the entire school to hear.

Wait, surrounded by girls? How dare he...

Oh right, he wasn't her boyfriend and she was just another fan that was head over heels for him.

But still, Macy couldn't help the tug at her heart as she watched Kevin walk off, his arms wrapped around four girls.

Then again, maybe this was good. She was trying to wear away her affection for Kevin, right? So, him being surrounded by other girls may be just what she needed. And maybe, if she kept repeating that to herself, she'd even start to kind of believe it.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"So what do you think about this Joe and Stella thing?"

"Nick?" Macy asked as she looked up to find Nick taking a seat next to her.

"Yeah?"

"Uh, I... sorry, I just don't think you have ever been the one to start a conversation between us."

"Well, I don't think you've ever gone two weeks without hurting a JONAS member, so I guess that makes us even."

"I haven't hurt any of you in two weeks?" Macy asked, her pencil flying out of her hand at the question. Nick ducked just in time to avoid it.

"That wasn't an invitation."

"Sorry."

"I wanted to talk to you about our little conversation the other day."

"What little conversation?"

"The one where I realised you were in love with Kevin."

Macy let out a loud breath which she was fairly certain was supposed to have been a laugh.

"What? Me? That's... I'm the crazy fan girl. I like all of you. I shouldn't have a favourite."

"Having a favourite member of JONAS and being in love with Kevin are two very different things."

"I'm not in love with Kevin."

"And you're about as good a liar as he is."

Macy could feel herself blush and looked down. Obviously Nick wasn't going to believe her no matter what she said, so what was the point of arguing?

"I'm not going to tell him."

"You aren't?"

"No, but I really think you should."

Macy shook her head. "I'm just working on getting over it."

"Why?"

"Because... because it's ridiculous, that's all."

"I don't think it's ridiculous."

Macy smiled and shook her head. "That's because you needed inspiration."

"Maybe."

Macy stuck her tongue out and looked down at her book.

"So what do you really think about this Stella and Joe thing?"

"I think it's going to end badly."

"It usually does." Nick nodded.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy sighed as she listened to Stella ramble on about some shirt that was to die for.

"Hey, here's a question," she interrupted her friend.

"Yeah?"

"Say a girl likes a guy, and she knows the she shouldn't because he's... well, he's just bad for her, so she wants to get over him, but she can't. What should she do?"

"I don't have a thing for Joe!" Stella yelled, causing quite a few heads to turn in their direction.

"I wasn't talking about you and Joe."

"Oh, well, in that case, she should just do whatever she can to get over the guy if he's really that bad for her."

"But what if she's tried everything?"

"Then she should try something else."

"Like what?"

"Like move on to another guy."

"Move on to another guy?"

"Yeah," Stella said as she reached out to fix Macy's collar. "But the trick is not to take it to an extreme."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, usually when girls try to distract themselves, they find the exact opposite of the guy they're crushing on."

"To really forget him. Makes sense."

"Wrong. If the girl is attracted to the guy, there's a reason. He might not be right for her, but that doesn't mean the type isn't right for her. She should just find someone that's like him, someone that's nice and good, and then move on to him. Problem solved."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Huh."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Wait a minute. Macy, are you trying to tell me something?"

"What? Me? Huh? I mean... What are you wearing for the game tonight?"

"Oh, my God. That is such a good question."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

And so when Randolph had shown up and seem so pliable, she didn't try to turn him into Kevin. Because she was so completely over Kevin. Or getting over him at least. Instead, she turned him into Nick, who was like Kevin but not him.

Besides, she didn't really want to part with her Book of Kevin Lucas for that long (fine, books since she was up to three of them). She read part of it every night before going to bed.

At least this meant that when Randolph did eventually call off the relationship, she wasn't that sad. It wasn't like she'd been dating Kevin after all.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Hey, Macy."

"Hi, Kevin. Where's your uniform?"

"Oh," he shrugged. "I quit the squad."

"How come?"

"No time. We're really ramping up the album and I couldn't handle both."

"Yet you still come to practice."

"I'm slowly phasing myself out."

He smiled up at Macy as she tried to laugh despite the little breath she had left after the laps she'd just done around the gym.

"What are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd get a little extra practice in."

"Shouldn't you be out with that guy who wears the wig or something?"

"Randolph. We broke up."

"Oh."

Macy raised an eyebrow at his reaction.

"Sorry, I'm just not surprised."

Macy's smile fell. No matter the person, it never felt good for someone to tell you they weren't surprised you were single.

"How come?"

"He just didn't seem your type."

"You don't think I was right for him?"

"Not you, Macy." Kevin grabbed her wrist and pulled her down on the bleachers next to him. "He wasn't your type. You're everyone's type."

"Why wasn't Randolph mine?"

"I don't know. He was just too... Nick-ish, I guess."

"So I'm not Nick's type."

"No, Nick's not your type. He's too serious and competitive and... I think you guys just work as friends."

"Wait, me and Nick or me and Randolph?"

"Both."

"Oh, do you?"

"Yep."

"And whose type am I?"

"I told you, you're everyone's type."

"So whose type is mine?"

Kevin smiled and shrugged. "Haven't figured it out yet. I'll tell you when I do though, okay?"

Macy sighed. It had been just a little too much for her to hope that he would answer him.

"Okay."


	11. Chapter 11: The Three Musketeers

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters or show.

More than halfway there! Thanks to everyone still reading and reviewing.

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Three Musketeers**

Macy sighed and rubbed at her eyes.

It was late. Very late. Much later than she should ever be in school, that was for sure.

But the boys hadn't been able to find her lucky charm and the game had been lost and she was more convinced than ever that she just had to get it back.

"But what makes it lucky?" Kevin had asked her when he'd broken the news to her that he and Joe had come up empty handed.

Macy shrugged and said something along the lines of "It just is."

There was no way that she would admit to Kevin that she'd gotten the charm the morning of her very first JONAS meet and greet, and that he himself, Kevin Lucas, had said "nice necklace" when he'd released her from the hug he had given her.

Of course he didn't remember that. After all, that was years before the boys had transferred to Horace Mantis, and she had been one of thousands of girls he had hugged that day.

To her though, it had meant everything, and she supposed it still did if she was on her knees looking for the thing after everyone had gone home, eaten supper and probably already finished their homework.

But she wouldn't rest until she found it.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

A good fan, Macy decided, would give Kevin his boot back the moment they saw him limping down the hall because he was only wearing one shoe.

So go ahead and accuse her of being a bad fan, she thought.

She was holding Kevin Lucas' boot.

She did of course have every intention of giving it back. There really was no reason for her to hold on to it. She was, after all, fully rational and knew that nothing could ever and would ever happen between her and Kevin.

What could it hurt to hold on to the boot for a little while, though? What was the harm with sleeping with the boot that first night it came in her possession? After all, it wasn't like she had stolen it. She'd been offered it fair and square by Kevin, and who was she to deny him giving her a gift?

All very rational arguments and none of them pointing toward the fact that she was infatuated with Kevin. Everything was fine.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Hey, Macy."

"Hi. Shouldn't you be at rehearsals?"

Joe shrugged. "I quit."

"Why?"

"Stage fright."

Macy narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything. Sure, it was weird, but it was also Joe, and she knew better than to question his motivations.

"Is that Kevin's boot in your bag?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"He gave it to me."

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't find my lucky charm."

Joe shook his head.

"Man, that guy is weird. After all, we all know that I'm the JONAS you're in love with."

"Joe, you belong to Stella. I'm not messing with that."

"Don't lie."

Macy rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. Joe sighed.

"Well, let's put Kevin's lucky boot to work."

"Huh?"

"Consider yourself lucky, Macy. I'm inviting you to be my date to The Three Musketeer's opening night."

"Why?"

"Because everyone I would usually go with will be on the stage?"

"Okay. After all, that does mean I'll get a front row seat to your breakdown about Stella and Van Dyke's romantic scenes."

"Pff. Meh. Tss. Whatever. They... it's a kiss on the hand."

"Wow, that's really convincing, Joe. It might be a good thing that you decided to quit the play."

"Don't make me take back my invitation," he told her, wagging a finger in her direction.

"I have a lucky boot on my side. It's all good."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy relaxed quietly in the atrium. Finally the play was over and peace and quiet could be restored. Boy, did her friends carry a lot of drama with them.

After jumping on stage and making Mrs. Snark's dreams of three JONAS members in feathered hats come true, Joe had taken Macy aside and tried to gently let her down by telling her that their outing together had just been a friends thing and that, if she didn't mind, he would be taking Stella home.

At least, if nothing else, Macy could rest assured that her affection for Kevin wasn't too obvious. Though, even she would readily admit that Joe was somewhat oblivious to many things, say, the love of his best friend.

She sighed and reached for the charm that hung around her neck.

She'd thought everyone had forgotten that she'd lost it, all too busy with their other, literal dramas. But there Kevin had been, handing it to her as though there had been nothing else on his mind since she'd told him she'd lost it.

And her winning streak was back. Things were looking up. Which, usually meant that they were about to go very, very wrong, but Macy wasn't going to let that bother her at the moment.

She petted the charm as she often did when she was nervous, then started back when the edge nipped at her skin.

What?

She'd had the charm for so long and tugged at it during so many occasions, that she never scratched herself on it anymore. It was a cheap little thing, and the edges by now were no longer sharp.

Macy shook her head and reached into her bag for her notebook and pencil case. She huffed angrily when she couldn't find a pencil, finally flipping the case so its contents fell on her lap. Its contents which happened to include a lucky charm.

But she was wearing her charm.

She was wearing the charm Kevin had given her.

Macy smiled as she thought about it. She was wearing the charm that Kevin had obviously gotten for her when he couldn't find the real one.

Macy groaned when she realised that she was slowly slipping into a gushy puddle of Kevin love once again.

Seriously, did the boy have to be so sweet?

Oh well, at least now she had a back-up charm if nothing else.


	12. Chapter 12: Frantic Romantic

**Disclaimer: **Not my characters, not my show.

Thanks again for all the reviews, comments and reads.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Frantic Romantic**

Macy bounced down the hall toward the boys to get the scoop on Joe and this new girl he was linked to. People watched her with odd looks. She knew, however, that it wasn't the bouncing that was directing the looks toward her, it was the fact that less than fifteen minutes ago, she had been about to cry.

She'd only seen three words that morning: JONAS, Fiona and romance. That was it. And when Kathy had passed her in the hall and whispered something about her man getting away, Macy figured that Fiona was with Kevin. Sure, she knew that Kevin would never be hers, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt that he was now with someone else.

Then she learned that he actually wasn't from one of her faithfuls who asked how Stella was doing, and while Macy knew that she should be feeling bad for Stella, she just couldn't.

Kevin was still free.

Not that she was letting herself believe that she had a chance, or anything.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy's brow furrowed as she scrolled through the pictures. Sure, she had called Joe a dork on many occasions, but this wasn't what she'd meant. These pictures were... well, they were just wrong.

She sighed as she read the captions that went along with them and the comments from fans. She'd been unsure when Stella had told her the boys had a plan that would get Fiona to leave them alone, but trusted that if all four of them thought it was a good idea, there must be some merit to it. She hadn't taken into consideration that none of the four people doing the planning really knew anything about the fans. At least not the way she did.

If there was going to be a plan b, obviously it would have to come from her.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"What is this scene exactly?"

"They're going to be skiing."

"Why?"

Macy frowned at the backdrop. Well, she hadn't really thought about that.

"Because it's romantic?"

"Joe's a terrible skier."

"I've seen him try to walk and talk at the same time, so I don't doubt it."

"So in this little scenario of yours, Joe and Stella will have gone sight-seeing in Paris, for a picnic and skiing all in two days and all without Fiona finding out?"

"Well, I mean, she's not that smart, right?"

Kevin shrugged.

Macy sighed and moved forward. Whatever. People loved gossip. They would buy it just so they could say they were the first to know about the couple.

"Oof." Macy didn't even have time to cringe as she tripped over one of the wires on the floor. Speaking of clumsy people, here would be another bruise for...

But she never touched the floor. Instead, she was suspended a few feet from it by Kevin's hands. He spun her around, her feet holding some of her weight while he took care of the rest.

"Are you okay, Macy?"

"Yeah, thanks. I didn't see that wire there."

"Obviously."

"Yeah."

She stared up at him, suddenly realising just how close they were. Kevin smiled.

"Maybe you should add a tripping scene. This could look pretty romantic. You know? To someone who didn't know what was going on."

"Yeah."

"Maybe—"

"Ow. Joe, stop hitting me with your ski pole."

"It's an accident."

"I'll accident you..."

"Are we ready yet?" Nick asked as he walked around Stella and Joe who were arguing their way into the room.

"Yeah," Kevin answered, finally pulling Macy up.

"Macy?" Nick asked.

"Huh?"

"Are you ready?"

"For what?"

Nick smiled. "The photo shoot."

"Right. Oh, right. Yeah. All set."

Macy tried to avoid Kevin's eyes for the rest of the afternoon, though the sight of them was firmly burned into her retina.

Fixing Joe's Fiona problem, Macy reminded herself. That's what she was there for.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy slowed her walk as she neared her house. Yep, there was definitely someone standing there on the front steps, waiting. Creepy. She took a deep breath and pulled out her cell phone so she was ready to dial for help if needed, or if she accidentally killed the guy with her black belt training.

"Oh, it's you," she sighed when she finally made out the man there.

"It's me."

"And you talk." Macy had yet to hear anything from the mouth of Fiona's photographer since he'd arrived on the scene.

"That I do."

"What are you doing here?"

He shrugged and handed her an envelope. "I figured you might want these. They slipped in while I was taking pictures of Joe and Fiona."

Macy scrunched her brow but opened the envelope. She gasped as she went through the photos.

They were all of her and Kevin. Talking, laughing, joking... Just moments between them that Macy had barely even noticed.

"How did you..."

"You notice things through the lens. I noticed that you might like these photos, for whatever reason."

"Thank you. They're beautiful."

"You're welcome." He smiled. "It's nice when someone actually likes the photos and not what they do for them."

"You really hate Fiona, don't you?"

"Yep."

Macy paused at the word for a moment.

"You know what?"

"What?"

"Maybe you could help then."

The photographer narrowed his eyes at her, but didn't say no right away. That was answer enough for Macy. She'd finally found a true solution to Joe's Fiona problem.


	13. Chapter 13: Detention

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters or show.

I have been out of creative ways to say this for a while now, but thanks for all the reads and reviews.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Detention**

Macy was exhausted. She thought playing sports was tiring. She hadn't realised how hard it was to try and help someone else play sports.

Though to be fair, she thought, this was only right. Stella had put up with her horrible singing for years. The least Macy could do was put up with her friend's clumsy attempts at playing sports for a few days or however long it would take the girl to figure out what it was she was actually good at.

Now, before she could get a good night's sleep and prepare for another day of watching Stella suck at sports, she had to find that arrow that had escaped. Really, how far could Stella have shot it?

Finally, Macy found some broken glass on the ground and figured that might be a sign of her friend's work. She cringed when she looked up and realised where she was.

Oh well, it wasn't like the boys were going to get mad at Stella if Macy was right in her assumption.

She knocked on the door and waited.

"Hey, Macy," Nick said when he finally answered. "I'll get Kevin."

Macy stared at him as he turned around and left her in front of the open door. She hadn't asked for Kevin. She was just innocently standing there...

"Hey, Macy, what's up?"

"Well, long story short, I was trying to help Stella find a sport she's good at this afternoon, and well..."

"You lost an arrow?" Kevin asked with a laugh.

"It didn't hit anyone, did it?"

"Nope. She actually has really good aim."

"You obviously didn't see her fail at the dozens of sports we tried."

"Nothing?"

"We were so discouraged we just finally quit for the night. We're going to keep trying tomorrow."

"She can't be that bad."

"She calls the gym the school dance building."

Kevin chuckled, then put his hands on either of Macy's shoulders. "You're a good person, Macy Misa."

"Thanks."

"Did you want to come in, or was that it?"

Macy looked past him, contemplating the option. She could feel her eyes grow heavy at the thought of staying up any longer.

"Actually, I'm exhausted. I think I'll just head home."

"Well, if you're exhausted, let me give you a ride."

"You don't have to—"

"Already outside," Kevin told her, looping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her toward the car. "Let's go."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy blinked a few times before she realised where she was.

She was in her bed.

Weird. The last thing she remembered was getting into Kevin's car and then...

She sprang up at the thought. After a few moments of wondering what had happened, she found a note by her bedside.

"You fell asleep before I was out of the driveway. Figured you needed the rest, so I carried you up. Good luck with Stella. - Kevin"

Kevin had carried her. She had been in Kevin's arms. Kevin had been in her bedroom.

Macy shuddered at the thought.

That meant he'd seen her bedroom. And as Macy looked around, she could confirm that her bedroom was plastered with the guy's face.

How embarrassing was that?

Obviously he knew she was a fan, but he didn't necessarily know that she was a fan who woke up to the sight of his face at the foot of her bed every morning.

For the first time, Macy hoped it would take a while for Stella to find a sport she was good at. Macy could definitely use the distraction.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy shook her head as she walked down the hall. Leave it to Stella to think that her outfit could possibly be the thing that would make her lose at sports. Leave it to Stella to worry about fashion when there were championships and medals on the line.

"Hey, Macy."

Macy spun around at the sound of the voice. There behind her were Nick and Kevin.

"Hey."

"How's it going?"

"Good... What are you guys doing here?"

"Joe's in detention," Kevin told her

"And you're visiting?"

"We have a song to record." Nick held up his guitar as though that would bring sense to everything. "What are you doing here?"

"Duh," Kevin said before Macy could. "She's got volleyball practice. Can't you tell by the uniform?"

And then Macy remembered what she was wearing. The uniform that was apparently anything but flattering and which made her sweat, and didn't let her breathe, and... Forget sports. Maybe Stella had a point. If she didn't look good and knew that Kevin might be seeing her, there was no way she was going to be playing well.

"Yeah."

"Over the weekend? Wow, you guys work hard."

"Well, we haven't won a game yet this season."

"You will," Kevin told her with a nod.

"Thanks. Well, I better go before coach makes me run laps. Good luck with the song, guys."

They both waved as she walked away from them.

That's it. Stella was right. The team did need new uniforms, and they needed them as soon as possible.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy watched the ball hit the ground on the other side of the net with shock.

They had won.

The volleyball team had actually won a match.

Sure, she'd done a fantastic sell-job when she realised that Kevin was seeing her in her volleyball outfit, but Macy had never actually thought that new uniforms would make a difference. Now, the team was actually one game up. Amazing. Maybe Stella really was a genius.

And maybe she would see business drastically increase by the way the coach was pulling at a uniform in her hands as though to see if it had special powers.

"Good job, Macy."

"Thanks, Kevin."

Macy smiled and waved to Nick and Joe who were hanging by their brother. Stella had somehow convinced all three boys to come to the game so they could see her latest creation. Apparently, she had been quick to abandon them as well when she noticed a few outfits that could use some adjustments.

"Nice outfit, by the way."

Macy blushed. She wasn't sure if it was a compliment to her or a compliment to Stella.

"How fast can you change?" Joe asked. "We're going out to celebrate Stella passing gym class. We can celebrate your victory at the same time."

"Your first volleyball victory of the season," Kevin added.

"Okay," Macy agreed with a shrug.

Three members of JONAS at her game and one outing together partially to celebrate one of her accomplishments? Maybe Macy would have to get Stella to look at her other uniforms as well...


	14. Chapter 14: Karaoke Surprise

**Disclaimer: **Not my characters or show

Thanks to everyone still reading and commenting.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Karaoke Surprise**

Okay, if Macy were a good friend she wouldn't let Joe go too far down this road, she thought to herself. After all, just because he was oblivious and couldn't see that Stella was about to shoot her for all the time they'd been hanging out together didn't mean that Macy wasn't fully aware. She was a girl, after all. Plus she could just read Stella better. And at that point, she was reading murder in the girl's stare.

So really, Macy should have tried to have a very minimal presence in the party planning. Maybe some advice by text or some recommendations by e-mail. But the first time she'd gone over to the firehouse to help Joe with the party planning, they had to move a pile of Kevin's dirty laundry to get to the couch, and the clothes just smelled so much like Kevin. And she might have stolen a shirt... which she might have slept in every night afterward... Details.

The second time Macy had gone over, she had been distracted when looking at the baby pictures on the wall, and had, of course, tripped. And Kevin caught her. With his arms. It was heaven. She almost wished she could have planned it.

The third time she visited, Kevin answered the door. Shirtless. It almost made her feel bad for having stolen his shirt since obviously he needed one, but more important was that she got to see Kevin shirtless. (Which she later learned was because Jo had just spilled half a carton of milk on the shirt Kevin had been wearing and insisted that he go get his big brother another one in atonement while Kevin waited in the kitchen.)

She didn't care what Stella thought was going on. Macy was not stopping herself from going to the JONAS house to help with this party.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"See? Even Stella sees it now, Macy. You're completely in love with me."

"Shut up, Joe," Macy said as she threw a carrot at Joe.

Things were getting pretty bad if even Joe now realised Stella's jealousy. Of course, it certainly helped that Macy had told him about having to break her cell phone and no longer being able to answer him, and Nick had shared his locker door story.

"I am awesome."

"You are a dork. I'm not in love with you and it's not my fault that Stella thinks I am. Actually, it's Stella's fault for not telling you how she really feels. So there. Plus, why don't you concentrate on the fact that you're in love with Stella instead of worrying about me and the feelings I don't have for you?"

"You're mean when you're in love with me," Joe pouted.

Nick shook his head and Macy swore that she almost heard a giggle from his direction.

"Leave Macy alone, Joe," Kevin said as he looped his arm around Macy's shoulder and pulled her against him. "She's trying to help here, and if you keep it up, you're going to have to plan Stella's party all by yourself."

"Will not."

"I'm not helping you," Nick said without looking up from the book in front of him.

"Fine. But just because I stop talking about how much Macy is in love with me doesn't make her any less in love with me. I hope you all understand that."

"When it comes to you," Kevin said while stealing one of Macy's carrots, "we try to understand as little as possible."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Macy, wait!"

For someone who had once been a super-obsessed fan, Macy suddenly realised that it seemed these days like the JONAS boys were chasing after her more than she was chasing after them.

"Hey, Nick."

"Hey, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. Everyone can tell that Stella is not really happy with you, and I know how close you guys are, so I just wanted to make sure that you weren't taking it too hard."

Macy shrugged. "It's for a good cause. She'll be happy when she eventually figures out what was going on all along."

"That doesn't mean that she should be so quick to jump to conclusions in the meantime."

"We're friends. We're really good friends. We can get mad at each other every now and then, and we'll just rebound again."

"Well, if it really bugs you and you need to talk to someone about it, Kevin's a great listener."

"What?"

"Plus, he's got that big brother thing going on, so he can give you some good advice, too."

Macy narrowed her eyes as she pushed Nick's shoulder. "Nick Lucas, are you trying to play matchmaker?"

"Me? What? Pssh. I just... I'm trying to help you... with your Stella problem."

"Yeah, sure. Listen, I might have a slight infatuation with Kevin, but that's all it is. It's a little crush on some superstar that will eventually fade."

Nick shook his head. "I'd love to stay and argue with you, but I have to go train. Just remember what I said, Macy."

He bumped his elbow against her arm and was gone before she could ask what he had to train for. Those JONAS boys were certainly odd at times.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy wrapped her arms around herself a little tighter as she felt the breeze travel around her. It was cool at night even if the days were warm enough.

"Hey, trying to escape?"

Macy smiled as she turned to see Kevin. "I figured one of you would eventually come out here to find me. I'm just happy it isn't Joe. I've had enough of him lately."

"Didn't feel like participating in the party you helped plan?"

"The karaoke machine seemed a little too tempting. I figured I'd come get some fresh air before I did damage to anyone's ear."

"How considerate of you."

She shrugged. "I like to think so. What about you, Kevin Lucas? What are you doing outside the party?"

"I'm looking for you."

"Me? To what do I owe the honour?"

"I was kind of wondering if you could help me."

"Are you throwing a secret party for someone who will think I'm in love with you and then get angry with me?"

"No."

"Cool. Then how can I help?"

"Well, I kind of got into this competition thing with Nick."

"Oh, so he's training to compete against you."

"He's training? Then I really need your help. Please, Macy?"

She would have said yes to anything when he turned around and grabbed her hands in his.

"Of course. So, what are we playing?"

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy felt slightly bad when she heard about the outcome of Nick and Kevin's competition. But then again, she couldn't be entirely to blame. After all, she had suggested at one point that that was all the help she could offer Kevin, but he insisted that she was helping and that they continue.

They had been outside tossing the hacky sack until four a.m. Well, that wasn't entirely true. They had mostly been tossing the hacky sack. Kevin was apparently fond of multiple breaks and he'd stopped many times to tell her a funny story that came to mind or to ask her random questions. Either way, it was partially her fault that he was so tired he couldn't get anywhere near Nick's level in the competition.

Maybe she could convince him that all he needed was a rematch, which would of course give her the opportunity for more training...


	15. Chapter 15: Home Not Alone

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my show.

Thanks to everyone still reading. I'm going to try to post most if not the rest of the story this week. Let's see how far I get...

* * *

**Chapter 15: Home Not Alone**

Okay so it was a lie. She wasn't completely out of JONAS-abelia. She was just out of JONAS-abelia she was willing to share. After all, no one would really want that old shirt she had stolen—um, borrowed—from Kevin. It didn't even kind of smell like him now that she had worn it to bed so many nights.

She had some other little things too, but they were either given to her as gifts or were too personal for her to share. She would never betray the boys' confidence by sharing something that they had meant for her alone. And the other things, well, if she had taken them in hiding, she certainly wasn't ready to share with the world that she had them.

So, Macy almost felt bad when she got Stella in on her quest, but really, her friend seemed happy to oblige, so who was she to complain if there was suddenly a new source of JONAS-abelia for her club?

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

In some part of her heart, Macy knew that she shouldn't be mad at Stella. Stella, after all, had just been trying to help her. It wasn't her fault that she was new and shiny and that the JONAS-heads liked her better. Just like it wasn't Stella's fault that she had known the guys longer and was obviously still closer to them than Macy was.

That didn't, however, mean that Macy couldn't pout the entire car ride to the JONAS firehouse. How it was that she had even ended up in the same car as Stella-the-fanclub-presidency-stealer was beyond her, and Macy certainly didn't appreciate it.

"Come on, Macy. I didn't do it on purpose. Plus I'm trying to fix it. That has to count for something, doesn't it?"

Macy sunk lower in the passenger seat.

"What if I told you that I didn't mind you have a crush on Joe? Would that help? I can even put a good word in with him for you."

"I don't have a crush on Joe."

"Aha, you talked. You talked to me once; that means you have to talk to me again."

"Just be quieter. I'm angry with you right now."

"But I just—"

"No," Macy protested.

"But I want to—"

"No."

"I'm sure this will fix everything."

"Well I'm not."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Luckily for both of them, Stella was right, and a trip to the boys' house was exactly what they needed. It was exhausting, but it was exactly what they needed.

Finally, Macy found herself waiting with a hand on her hip and the other held out expectantly as the JONAS-heads filed out of the firehouse. She knew her group, and if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that they wouldn't be leaving the house without at least trying to bring along some kind of souvenir.

She was surprised at their selection and at the fact that they hadn't bothered to be subtle about what they took. She was fairly certain that there was no way Joe would have gone twenty-four hours without realizing that one of his mirrors had gone missing.

She sighed at the pile she had finally gotten together as she tried to put everything back where it went. Despite their protest at the boys' activities during their absence, Mr. and Mrs. Lucas had happily left their boys the house once again, saying they were going to supper and wanted the house in perfect order by the time they got back. While good intentioned, the JONAS-heads didn't happen to know where everything really went in the house, though they had left every surface spotless. The boys' punishment could still fluctuate depending on how good a job they did at the final clean up.

"What are you doing?" Kevin asked with a chuckle as he walked into the living room to find Macy trying to decide in which order their DVDs were arranged.

"Putting back everything the JONAS-heads tried to take as souvenirs."

"Nick said they could take anything they found in the vacuum."

"I doubt they found your stuffed otter in the vacuum."

"They tried to steal Mr. Ott? Those monsters."

Macy giggled but continued with the DVDs. The last thing she wanted was to be the reason Mr. and Mrs. Lucas doled out a harsher punishment than necessary.

"I know. At least I know my limits. At least I stay with bread crusts or shirts when I take something from you guys."

"What?"

It was only after Kevin's question that Macy realized she had spoken out loud.

"I have to go."

There was no way Kevin would have been able to catch up with the star of the track team, and Macy thanked every god she could think of for that.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"What are you doing?"

It was too early for her to be alarmed or surprised at his presence in her bedroom. At this point, she just wanted things to kind of make sense.

"You weren't supposed to wake up."

"Then you have to improve your Santa skills."

"I'll work on it." Kevin smiled and sat next to her on the bed.

"So what are you doing?"

"I was trying to sneak you some JONAS-abelia."

"Stella?"

"I couldn't help but ask about the crusts and the shirt. I'm taking this back, by the way." Kevin wagged his shirt in the air. "I love this shirt." Before Macy could understand what was happening, Kevin was shirtless and handing her the shirt he had been wearing so he could put the other one on. "Trade ya."

She was happy that she'd chosen that night for a tank top and shorts. She didn't want to think of the lengths Kevin would have gone to to get his shirt back if she'd been wearing it.

"It smells like me if that helps?"

"Stella has a big mouth," Macy whined as she buried her head in her pillow.

"I'll let you get back to sleep. Technically I'm not supposed to leave the house right now. See you Monday, Macy."

Then there was a pat on her back, and he was gone.

Macy was fairly certain that it took at least half an hour before the blush finally wore off her cheeks. It did not take that long, however, before she found herself in Kevin's warmth, his shirt covering her upper body.

So maybe there were some advantages to getting caught.


	16. Chapter 16: Forgetting Stella's Birthday

**Disclaimer: **Not my show. Not my characters.

Second chapter this week already. Yay!

* * *

**Chapter 16: Forgetting Stella's Birthday**

Macy was happy Stella had a short attention span. After all, if Stella was good at concentrating on one thing for an extended period of a time, she would have realized that there was no earthly reason for Macy to have that photo of her and the boys from a Christmas long ago. Then, Macy would have had to explain that Kevin had accidentally slipped it in with the other things he'd left at her house, then Stella would have wondered why Kevin would have done such a thing, and... Well, knowing Stella, she would have decided to play matchmaker, which was the last thing Macy needed when she was so close to getting over Kevin. Of course she was...

Luckily there was talk of a party, and while Macy had worried for a second that she wouldn't be invited, she was too excited to care. Even if the boys didn't want her there, Stella was obviously planning on bringing her, so everything should turn out fine.

Macy was just happy Joe hadn't asked her to help with the planning this time. One trip down that road was more than enough for her.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy had giggled at herself throughout the day as her thoughts kept drifting back to Kevin in a leather vest. She knew that she had to soak it up in her mind and nowhere else because Stella would never let the boy go anywhere in such an outfit.

When she could pull her mind away from Kevin's chest, it was to wonder what she would wear that night. Stella had promised they would have time to go shopping before the main event, but Macy worried all the same. She could have all the confidence she wanted on the field, she continued to feel like she was a little girl playing dress up when it came time for her to dress up for an occasion, and knowing Stella, the occasion was surely going to require a dress and not just some pretty shirt thrown together with comfortable jeans.

Her breath would probably be painful all night and her wallet would certainly take a hit, but she knew the boys' parties were legendary and probably worth the pain. Maybe she would even find a real distraction from Kevin if she made herself pretty enough.

The distraction the night eventually brought her was far from the one she had been expecting, though. She was hoping to find a yummy boy to distract her, not have her thoughts preoccupied by the fact that the guys had forgotten Stella's birthday.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Though she promised herself that she wasn't able to get mad at the boys, the next morning, Macy found that she actually could. The odd thing was the reason why she was mad.

She wasn't necessarily mad that they had forgotten Stella's birthday; after all, she had once seen Nick forget his own birthday until his brothers had torn his notebook out of his hands and reminded him of the date. No, the real problem was that she wasn't angry. Despite everything that had happened, Macy woke up the next morning with the exact same feelings she had for the boys before they had forgotten their best friend.

Never mind Stella's birthday which they had remembered for years, it was her own inability to find faults with these guys that made her so angry. And since the first face that popped into her mind the next morning was Kevin's—still wearing the leather vest in her head—he was the one who was going to feel her wrath first.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

But of course, it barely lasted past the first smile he offered her, and Macy suddenly found herself at the Lucas house for game night.

Sure, it was odd that the boys were running in and out of the room, but Macy didn't have time to care. Mostly because the boys were running in and out of the room. Sure, she was a friend, but that didn't mean she couldn't admire them as they moved, especially as they moved away from her.

She played the Dopey Doctor game with Stella, barely paying attention to what was going on. Something was up, and while Stella was refusing to admit that to herself, Macy didn't see the point in denying it. Already, she was trying to figure out how she was going to get Stella out of the inevitable funk this would cause.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy remained clueless until Stella came to her with tears and a story told in sobs.

Macy wanted to understand the boys' side, but it wasn't easy. Sure, they had made mistakes, and they had been trying to do the right thing in a way, but Stella was too devastated for Macy to see past that. The boys had hurt her whether they had meant to or not.

Still, the sadness around her friends was more than Macy ever wished to see.

"You'll think of something to cheer her up," Macy encouraged the guys as they all sat around one of the lunch tables.

"I don't know," Joe said. "She was pretty mad. And we were really wrong."

"Big Man is going to throw us at the next crowd of screaming girls after he hears about this one," Nick sighed.

"Will Stella forgive us then?" Kevin asked.

"Probably not," Macy answered when all three boys looked up at her expectantly. "But you'll think of something. I know you will."

"And if we don't?"

"You will," Macy told them with a determined nod.

And though she truly did believe that they could eventually make it right, she didn't hesitate to help them the moment she saw the interview on her phone. After all, being surrounded by four sad faces all the time was not pleasant, and she eventually got to be included in a JONAS group hug. Being helpful definitely had its perks.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Thanks for the help today, Macy."

"You're welcome, Nick."

He gave her what could almost be considered a smile and sat next to her on the bench in the atrium.

"I'm not sure Stella would have forgiven us without you."

"You would have thought of something," she told him, just as she'd been telling the guys all day.

"Yeah, but who knows how long that would have taken."

Macy chuckled.

"What did you think of the interview?"

"I thought it was really sweet. What you guys said about Stella was really nice and exactly what she needed to hear."

Nick narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"That's all you think of the interview?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You didn't read the whole thing, did you?"

"Not yet. It's tiny on my phone screen and so I was going to wait and get the real thing on paper before trying to read it all."

Nick gave her an actual smiled and nudged her with his elbow.

"You let me know when you've read it all."

"Okay," Macy told him, her voice low and confused.

And with that, Nick offered her a wink and went on his way as though there had been no conversation at all.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

It wasn't until a few days later that Macy finally got around to reading the entire interview. Stella had been keeping her busy with happy stories about the guys now that they were back in her good graces, and then it took Macy a while to recover when she'd accidentally found herself hugging Kevin during the Dopey Doctor game. She was fairly certain that she'd whispered something that gave away her affection for him as she'd been squeezing him against her, but the confusion in his eyes had only lasted a moment, and so Macy figured she was safe.

It still took her a while to get over the close contact.

Eventually she did, however, and she finally picked up a copy of the magazine with the interview. She found what Nick was talking about right away.

They had talked about her.

They had talked about her and how great a fan she was and how they loved her website.

Macy wasn't sure how long it would take her to get over this one, but luckily the fainting part only lasted a few minutes.


	17. Chapter 17: The Tale of the Haunted Fire

**Disclaimer: **Not my characters; not my show.

And another. Thanks for keeping up.

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Tale of the Haunted Firehouse**

Macy had never been so glad she volunteered in the community in her life. She was glad that every year she put her name to give tours of the town's small charity haunted house, because she really didn't have any other excuse not to join her friends in scaring the life out of Kevin. The last thing in the world Macy wanted to do was scare the life out of Kevin.

She had thought about telling him a few times what was planned for him, but part of her thought he might enjoy the experience, and the other part of her didn't want Joe, Stella and Nick angry with her for ruining their plans. Joe and Stella complaining for weeks on end would be torture enough, but Nick's evil glare should she ruin their plan was something she was sure she wouldn't be able to handle.

Macy decided that the safest of all tactics was simply to avoid Kevin.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"You haven't fallen in love with someone else, have you?"

"What?"

"I mean, I know we haven't put out a new album in a while, but you still love me, right?"

Macy shook her head as she put away her math book, knowing that Joe would settle for nothing less than her full attention.

"As much as I ever have, Joe. Even if you won't believe me when I tell you that's not as much as you think it is."

"You love me," Joe told her with a nod. "You aren't angry because we're going to scare Kevin, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You've been avoiding us all week. If you don't love someone else and if you aren't mad at us, I can't figure out what it is that's keeping you away."

Macy smiled. "I just don't want to ruin your game. I'm not good at hiding things from people. I don't want to ruin your fun by accidentally telling Kevin what you have planned for him. I mean, you saw me when we were trying to surprise Stella. I suck."

"You were pretty bad." Joe nodded.

Macy pushed at Joe's shoulder. "Hey, I'm not saying you were any better."

Joe raised his hands in protest and slowly moved away from her.

"You promise you're not mad?"

"I promise." Macy nodded.

"All right, but if we don't start seeing more of you after this prank, I'm going to come bother you some more."

"I in no way doubt that."

He winked and was gone. Macy started to wonder if this wink and exit thing was something the guys practiced together at home.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Guess what, Macy."

Macy cringed. She really had to get better at this hiding from the guys thing. She used to be able to do it without problem, and now it seemed there was no escaping them.

"What?"

"We have a ghost."

"Really? That's... you sound like that's a good thing."

"Well, it isn't really, and it kind of scares me, but it's exciting too. Plus, I've decided that I'm going to prove it to Joe and Nick, and I'm always happy to prove Joe and Nick wrong."

"Well, who isn't?"

"Do you want to help? I think I'll feel better if you're there. I'm sure even a ghost knows that you could take them down, and it wouldn't be as bad if you were there to help defend us."

"You think I could help defend you?" Macy asked with a smile.

"Sure. I mean you're tiny, but you're athletic. Plus, I mean, you've done a lot of damage to us guys by accident. Imagine if you were actually trying."

Macy couldn't help but laugh. Anyone else and she would have thought it was an insult, but from Kevin, she knew he only meant well.

"When are you doing this?"

"Tomorrow night. Are you in?"

"I can't. I'm helping at the haunted house all week."

"Really? I didn't know you liked haunted houses."

"Sure." Macy shrugged. "They're fun. Plus my mother's store is kind of a sponsor, so it's great advertisement at the same time."

"Wow, well, if we ever need PR help, I'll know where to go."

"Absolutely."

Kevin sighed. "So how late is this haunted house thing open?"

"Until midnight, but usually it's only older people who don't really get scared by the thing that show up after ten."

"Okay, well, it we're still having ghost troubles after midnight, I'm going to be giving you a call."

"Sounds good," Macy agreed with a nod.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

It took all of Macy's willpower not to call Kevin from the haunted house to see how he was doing, never mind once she got home. It was late though, and part of her was somewhat scared that her friends would have told him that she knew what they were planning and that he would be mad at her.

It made for a restless night as Macy tossed and turned with worry. To make things worse, she wouldn't see Kevin until Monday, which meant she would spend the weekend wondering whether he was mad at her or not. Maybe she would call Stella the next day and see if she could get anything from her friend. She was fairly certain that waiting too long to find out would be the death of her.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Hey, Macy."

"Hi, Kevin."

"How's the haunted house going?"

"Good, we've had a pretty good night. How are you?"

"Good. Did you hear about our ghost?"

Macy bit her lip. "Stella might have told me some of it when I called her this morning."

Stella might also have done a good job both reassuring and discouraging Macy when she'd answered the girl's query about whether or not Kevin was mad at her with "why would he even have been thinking of you at that point?"

"You must be pretty happy you weren't there for them to scare you too, right?"

Macy winced. She couldn't lie to Kevin, especially after he had pretty much sworn he would never lie to her again.

"I kind of knew."

"What?"

"I knew what they were planning. They asked me not to ruin it even if I couldn't be there."

"Macy!"

"I'm sorry," she told Kevin, head down and shoe scrapping the dirt beneath her feet.

"Aw, you care too."

Before Macy could quite understand what was going on, she was surrounded by Kevin's arms and pressed against his chest. She didn't care how confused she was, this was nice.

"Okay."

Kevin released her and smiled as he looked down at her.

"Was that it?" Macy asked when he said nothing more.

He took a deep breath.

"Actually, I kind of wanted to see the haunted house. I mean, you worked on it. I wanted to see where all your hard work went."

"Of course! Just go on in."

He took another breath.

"After yesterday, I'm a little scared. Would you come with me?"

"What?"

"Can you take a break and come with me?"

"You want me to go with you?"

"Yeah, I mean, you can tell me what's coming up if it's really scary, and I still believe that you can take care of any ghosts if there are any in there."

Macy laughed and looked around them. There really weren't that many people around, and there was other staff to take care of the few visitors that might show up.

"Okay. I'd love to."

Somehow, she managed not to faint when Kevin grabbed her hand and pulled her into the haunted house. She barely noticed her hard work as they walked through the house, too busy concentrating on Kevin's hand in hers and the occasional squeezes he would give it when he would get scared.

Macy wasn't sure which one of them suggested they go a second, third and fourth time, but she did know that Kevin helped the cause that night, and that she wasn't washing her hand for the rest of the week at the very least.


	18. Chapter 18: Double Date

**Disclaimer: **Not my show or characters

You know the drill...

**

* * *

**

Chapter 18: Double Date

"Macy, I'm about to make your dreams come true."

Macy looked at Joe with confused eyes. She was too perplexed to even care that she'd answered the door on a Saturday night in her pajamas. After all, Joe didn't seem to think this was odd despite the fact that it was only a little after seven.

"What?"

"I'm going to make you the happiest girl in the world."

"How?"

"You and I are going on a date."

She paused for a moment.

"What?"

"We're going on a date."

"Why?"

"Because you love me."

"Why for real?"

"Because Stella and Van Dyke are on a date, and apparently I'm not allowed to call the restaurant."

"Joe, you should probably just stay out of it."

"That doesn't sound like something that I'm going to be doing."

"What do Kevin and Nick think of this idea?"

"They're distracted by cookies."

"Yeah, what's up with Kevin and cookies?"

"I thought we were talking about my problem."

"I don't think this is a good idea, Joe," Macy told him with a shrug.

"Come on, Macy. Date with the JONAS you love, heavy drama, and... I'll let you blog about it."

Macy bit her lip.

"You'll be the only one blogging about this."

"You'll handle Stella's wrath?"

"Why would Stella have any wrath that would need to be handled?"

Macy chuckled and shook her head.

"Let me get changed."

"But we're in a hurry."

"I'm not going out in my PJs."

"You're right." Joe nodded. "Get changed. Meet me there."

Macy raised an eyebrow.

"I just want to make sure we have a good table."

Macy laughed as she watched him race back to the Lucas car. Heavy drama indeed.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

And then there were two.

"See. You can't say I lied."

Macy offered Joe a sad smile as he munched on a breadstick.

"Go home, Joe."

"Our date isn't finished. I promised you a date."

"You promised four things, and you've delivered on three."

"Three?"

"Heavy drama, blogging, and handling Stella's wrath. That's pretty good."

"What about our date?"

"If we were ever to really go on a date, I would most definitely lose my best friend, and that's not in my plans. So, I suggest that you go home and figure out how you're going to make this up to her."

"Me? She called me tambourine boy!"

"You said the fried pigeon or whatever was going to go directly to her hips."

"It was a joke?" Joe tried.

Macy narrowed her eyes.

"Never a good time to joke about that, is there?"

"Go."

"Why is it that girls always think they can tell guys what to do?"

"Because you're useless without us. Now go."

He opened his mouth to say something else, but apparently couldn't find anything that would defend his actions. He left Macy by herself in the restaurant.

"He should have specified very heavy drama."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"For you."

Macy jumped back at the rose that suddenly appeared in front of her face.

"Oh, thanks."

"I felt bad for abandoning you on our date."

"You guys went on a date?"

Macy and Joe looked up at Kevin who joined them at the lunch table.

"How come I didn't know that you guys went on a date?"

"Because I asked Macy to go on a date with me so I wouldn't look like I was stalking Stella the other night."

"You guys went on a date?" Kevin asked, still confused.

"It wasn't a real date," Macy corrected. "I mean, he didn't pick me up, he didn't take me home; in fact, he abandoned me at the restaurant with our bill."

"You did what?" Kevin gasped.

"Oh my God, I did do that. I'm so sorry, Macy. How much was it?"

Macy shrugged. "It was worth the entertainment. Flips and all. Plus, if it means you and Stella are getting along again, it was worth every penny."

Joe shook his head.

"I still owe you. Maybe not a date, but something. I owe you something."

"I'm sure I'll eventually think of something."

Joe cringed as Macy's smile widened. "That doesn't sound promising."

"Not for you."

"I'm going to go now, just in case you think of something right away."

"Chicken," Macy teased as Joe waved and rushed off.

"You went on a date with Joe?" Kevin asked again once they were alone at the table.

"It wasn't really a date. It was just a favor. I knew it would help Joe and Stella get over whatever was going on between them this time, so I thought I would help."

"I know Joe says it a lot, but I didn't think you were actually in love with him."

"Oh God no. I mean... he's nice and all, but you guys are my friends. It's not like that." Macy hoped the words would help convince both Kevin and herself. She was still constantly having to remind herself that things would never be like that between her and her favorite JONAS member.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well, okay. But even if that is true, Joe shouldn't have done that. I'll tell you what, we'll go out sometime. I'll show you how us Lucas boys were really raised to treat women."

"You don't have to do that."

"Are you kidding me? I can only imagine the harm Joe can do in one evening. I definitely have to do some damage control."

"Well, if you insist."

"I do." Kevin looked away distractedly, and Macy saw that Nick was heading in their direction. "We'll talk about it later."

"Hey, guys," Nick said as he sat with the pair. "So what is going on with Joe and Stella?"

Macy let Kevin explain as she stared off in space. She had just been asked out by a JONAS, again. But this time, it was by the right JONAS. And hey, she hadn't even fainted.


	19. Chapter 19: Cold Shoulder

**Disclaimer: **Not my show; not my characters.

I thought there were only two chapters after this one, but there's a good chance I'll be adding an epilogue. We'll see. Maybe I'm just not ready for the story to end...

* * *

**Chapter 19: Cold Shoulder**

At first Macy was thrilled. What wouldn't be great about having another JONAS fan at the school? Especially one that would perhaps be as knowledgeable as she was about the band. Another club President? Bring it on. The more the merrier.

At least that had been Macy's attitude until she found out how Kevin felt about Anya. Joe and Stella had used the word love. Nick had shrugged. Macy had a feeling Nick shrugged only to keep from breaking her heart by revealing the truth.

But Macy said nothing because she knew that her crush on Kevin was ridiculous and that it would eventually fade. She even told herself that she would be nice to Anya. After all, the girl obviously had good taste if she liked Kevin, so Macy could make an effort and reach out to her.

And for biting her tongue, Macy rewarded herself with a new phone.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Then her attention focussed somewhere else.

At any other time she would have been steaming mad that someone was messing with her site, but Macy was kind of relieved that there was something wrong with her web presence at the moment. It was something to distract her from Kevin and Anya, and she needed a distraction from Kevin and Anya. The new couple was all anyone was talking about, and Macy wasn't sure if it was because of how odd the pair was, or because this seemed to be the first girl Kevin had shown interest in. Most of the school hadn't known about the pizza girl since she went to another school.

Macy tried to avoid them as much as possible, and her success was something else that saddened her. Usually, Kevin would have been seeking her out, trying to see if she was mad at him or if there was anything else keeping her away. With Anya as a distraction however, Macy seemed to be the last thing on his mind, and so she let herself sink even deeper in the mystery of the photos that kept appearing on her site.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Macy? Macy?"

"Yeah, here, sure."

Nick smiled as he handed Macy the purse she'd set down on their kitchen table.

"Ready to go?"

"Already?"

"Kevin's already gone."

Macy sputtered for a moment as she tried to find her words. "That's not what I meant."

"Yes, it is. He's already at the dance with Anya."

Macy shrugged. "Okay. I don't care."

Nick sighed and put his arm around Macy's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Macy. I was really rooting for you, but Kevin and Anya..."

"They're a match made in weird heaven. I know. I've seen them together."

"But hey, you never know what might happen. First though, we're going to go to this dance together and figure out who it is that's taking these photos. And you know what that means."

"Yeah..." Macy hesitated for a moment. "No. No, I don't. What does that mean?"

"It means that you are going on a second date with a member of JONAS. How weird is that?"

Macy smiled. "Since when are you good at cheering people up?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Well, thanks anyway."

"Come on. Let's go watch me dance uncomfortably."

"Oh, goodie."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy had to keep reminding herself what she was looking for. There was something about her site and she was supposed to be solving a mystery, but all she could see was Kevin with Anya. He looked so happy, not that Kevin ever didn't look happy... but still.

Macy sighed. Even she had to admit that they made a nice couple.

Maybe this was exactly what she needed. She hadn't been able to get Kevin out of her mind and her heart, so maybe seeing him with someone else was exactly what the doctor had ordered. Besides, from the way Nick was glaring at her, it was clear that he thought it was time that she started concentrating on the problem at hand.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Hey, Anya. How's it going?"

"I'm not sure."

"What's up?"

Anya looked up.

"Okay, no." Macy smiled and patted Anya's arm. "I meant what's going on."

"Oh, well, I break up with Kevin because he needs real American girlfriend, but Stella thinks she can make me real American girlfriend, so maybe I don't have to break up with him."

"Okay."

"You think I can be an all-American girlfriend?"

Macy shrugged. She'd rather not think about it at all.

"I guess."

"I think it would make Kevin happy."

Macy sighed. "So do I. You know, I know a thing or two about Kevin; maybe I can help."

"You know about Kevin?"

"Well, yeah. You know, basic stuff. Favorite color, what he likes to do on weekends, what cheers him up when he's sad, that kind of stuff..."

"But I am his girlfriend."

"I know that. But you were far away, so there might be things that I know that you don't."

"I don't think so, Macy."

"What?"

"I think I know best when it comes to Kevin. If not, you would be his girlfriend while I was far away, no?"

"Yeah."

"I think Stella will be the best help."

"That's a good call."

"Okay, I go find Stella."

"Good luck."

Macy snarled as Anya moved around her.

The girl just had to be twice her height on top of everything else. Being happy for Kevin was going to be harder than she had originally thought.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"So I set him up with the president of their French fan club."

"Wait, what?" Macy asked suddenly understanding what Stella was telling her.

"Yeah, I mean, it seems like Kevin has a thing for presidents of their fan clubs, and I remembered her from when I went to Europe with the guys once, so I thought it would be perfect. Cool, huh?"

"So he's dating her now?"

"No," Stella sighed. "She had to go back and they figured it would be better to just be friends. I still think it was a great idea, though."

"Sure, Stella," Macy agreed, her mind already miles away as they were joined by the three Lucas boys.

Macy ignored the conversation going on around her as she focused on one thing. Kevin liked presidents of JONAS fan clubs. This was not going to help her get over her crush.


	20. Chapter 20: Beauty and the Beat

**Disclaimer:** Not my show or characters, but my version of them really like me

Another chapter where I had complete Macy-freedom since she wasn't in this episode. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 20: Beauty and the Beat**

What exactly happened to her friends when she left town? Seriously, Macy had never considered herself a grounding force, but it seemed that her home town became the Twilight Zone during her absence.

Stella in a beauty pageant? The boys hosting such an event? Seriously, what was going on?

She almost regretted having won her way into a one-week intense training camp for female track and field athletes. Now, Stella was left at the mercy of all those beauty queens, not to mention what they would do to Kevin. Not that she was thinking about Kevin.

Nope, her mind was completely on sports.

Or at least that's what she would tell her coach of the week if she didn't start improving and getting her head in the game.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"When are you coming back?"

Macy looked down at her phone in confusion. Wasn't it customary for conversations to start with some kind of greeting?

"Hello?"

"Hi, Macy. How are you? When are you coming back?"

"Hi, Kevin. I'm good. At the end of the week."

"The end of the week Friday or Saturday?"

"Late Sunday actually. I'm staying an extra day to visit my aunt since I'm so close to where she lives."

"That's early next week."

Macy smiled and stretched out on the bed that was hers for the week.

"I'm sorry. You're right. What's going on?"

"Pageant."

"I heard. I thought Stella said she was doing pretty well, though."

"Stella thinks she's doing pretty well."

She waited, but there didn't seem to be anything more coming.

"But..."

"These girls are professionals. This is all they do. They're going to eat her alive, and then we'll have nothing left but chunks of shark-bitten Stella, and then Joe will get sad, and he'll never stop whining. Do you really want a Joe that never stops whining?"

"Well what am I supposed to do?"

"Come back. Help us fix this."

Macy laughed. "I can't. I have to go through with this camp thing. Coach nominated me for this. It's an honour or something."

But already, Macy was wondering how she could get home quickly. Kevin was asking her to come home. She was surprised she wasn't packing her bags already.

"I know. I wouldn't let you come home, really. You need to do your sports thing and just... be great at it."

"Thank you."

"Any advice about this Stella thing?"

"Just... be a friend."

There was silence for a moment.

"Late Sunday, huh?"

"That's right."

"Fine. I'll see you Monday."

"Okay. Bye, Kevin."

"Goodnight, Macy."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Luckily, a lot of the girls at the camp wanted to watch the competition the night it was on television. Macy was surprised at first, but soon realized that many of the girls either knew someone who was competing or were happy for an excuse to watch the three guys on television.

Macy watched in awe as her friend dominated the competition. She knew Stella was amazing, but this was beyond her wildest dreams. Who knew what her friend had always really been capable of? Macy was even thrilled to find that the fourth of the four cell phones Stella was using for her talent ended up sending a message to her asking what she thought of the competition so far.

As for all the other girls, Macy tried to ignore the way they were flirting with the boys, and the way Kevin was almost reacting to them. Thank God for Nick keeping him in line. She had never wanted to hug Nick so hard in her life. At the same time, she had never wanted to hold herself back from hugging Nick as much, knowing that was probably the last thing he would want from her. She assumed being a few states away was just far enough for his personal bubble.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

By the time she was back at school, Stella had reassured Macy that everything was back to normal. People seemed to have forgotten that she was ever even in a beauty pageant at all, and the other girls had moved on to the next competition and apparently the next judges as well. The boys were back to their regular selves without any extra beauties flocking after them.

Macy smiled as she walked through the doors of the school and joined her friends. It really was like she had never left.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Thank God you're back. Or maybe thank God you missed whatever that was last week. I'm not sure." Kevin shrugged as he unpacked his lunch.

"It looks like you guys had it pretty much covered."

"Not even kind of. First we made Stella mad by agreeing to do the pageant—she was mad even if she said she wasn't—then Joe told her she wasn't pageant material, then we told her it was a good idea, then we couldn't convince her it wasn't, then she lost, then we fixed it, and then there was the garbage. It was a lot."

Macy nodded. She wouldn't even have known where to begin if she was going to answer that.

"Wait, Joe told Stella she couldn't win a pageant?"

"He told her she wasn't pageant material."

"And he lived to talk about it?"

Kevin smiled. "Apparently it's more important to Stella to prove Joe wrong than to kill him."

"I hope he thanked God for that."

"I know, right."

"Why would he even tell her that?"

"She was ragging on the beauty queens, so Joe told her that she couldn't understand because she wasn't pageant material."

"It is literally one step forward and two steps back with the two of them."

"They don't make things easy, that's for sure."

Macy sighed and took a bite of her sandwich.

"Would you ever be in a beauty contest, Macy?"

"Oh, no. I know my strengths and they aren't on the stage. I mean, really, what would I do for a talent, tackle someone?"

"You're talented," Kevin protested.

"Yeah, at sports."

"At lots of things."

"Name one."

Kevin opened his mouth. He closed it.

"I don't want to get in trouble."

"Well, at least I feel you learned something during my absence."

"Good for us all, I guess."


	21. Chapter 21: Exam Jam

**Disclaimer:** You know by now.

Fridays make me happy; two chapters for you.

Let me know if you think this should have an epilogue. If not, thanks to everyone who's stuck with the story and for all the reviews, they definitely got me posting faster.

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 21: Exam Jam**

Macy could barely believe the guys had taken her offer seriously, let alone actually agreed. It was just one of those things she blurted out over lunch, and then suddenly, there she was in the Lucas firehouse, documenting their preparation for tour. She hadn't been kidding when she said the fans would love to see them get ready; she just never thought that they would actually agree to let her into their lives during such a busy time.

Not to mention the emotions.

Nick failing a test, Joe getting ready for his separation from Stella, Kevin trying to decide between his guitars... Emotions were high and Macy was in the middle of them, trying to stay cheerful for the fans that were watching her face on the screen and counting on her to bring them the latest JONAS news.

The truth was, she was anything but cheerful.

Like Stella, she knew how much she would be missing the guys in the months to come. Unlike Stella, she couldn't show it as much. After all, she was just a super fan who was slowly becoming a friend. It wasn't like she was emotionally involved with any of the boys or that she was having her heart crushed by their departure. Of course not...

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy stayed hidden behind her camera as the night wore on.

Was it wrong to be jealous of a guitar? Or three guitars for that matter? Seriously, how was it that Kevin could show this much affection to an inanimate object, and barely recognizing the fact that they were about to spend the entire summer apart. It was a good thing that Nick's panic was around them to keep her distracted.

Because really, Macy had to face facts. This waiting thing was not working. She had waited and waited, and nothing. She wasn't getting over Kevin.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

"Aren't you supposed to be in the other room helping Nick study?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in there videotaping Nick studying?"

"I'm pretty sure he was about to throw something at me. I thought it was best if I left him alone for a little while."

"Same here."

Macy smiled at Kevin as she leaned against the firehouse and enjoyed the night breeze.

"Do you think he's going to pass?" she asked him.

"I hope so. I mean, it's Nick; he can do anything. Including blame himself all summer if we don't go on this tour, so I really hope he passes."

"Yeah, all those European fans would be really disappointed if you didn't go over there."

Kevin nodded. "You would know best."

There was a moment of silence between them and Macy took a deep breath. She realized it was the first minute of silence she'd found since walking into the firehouse that morning.

"What about you?"

"I guess I would be disappointed for the European fans too."

"No, I meant what are you going to be doing this summer while we're overseas?"

"Oh, that." Macy chuckled to herself. "I'm working at a summer camp."

"Cool, what kind?"

"Sports camp, of course."

"It's not of course. I told you, Macy, you're good at a lot of things."

"Well, calming Nick isn't one of them, so how about we stay out here a little longer."

"I think that's a good plan."

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

There were no sad good-byes between the guys and Macy, mostly because she was at the hospital at the time of their departure. A little bleeding, one lost tooth, but all in all, it was nothing compared to some of the injuries she'd received on the field in the past.

The biggest hurt was that they were gone and she wouldn't see them for the next few months. The last words she'd spoken to them were about her injury, no tearful good-byes, no we'll miss you.

Oh, well, perhaps it was better that way in the end. Knowing her, this had probably saved her from deep embarrassment.

***J*B*J*B*J*B***

Macy sighed. She was almost done.

Initially, she had thought that all her hard work would be lost because the last of her footage had been left at the firehouse when she'd been rushed off to the hospital, but a tearful Stella had shown up the next day with both a box of tissues and her video camera.

Macy had managed to wait until Stella was done crying and complaining before she had focused on the videos. And then, there was hours of editing in front of her. Apparently, she had really taped every single minute of her time at the firehouse (excluding her chat outside with Kevin).

Now, just a bit more footage and she'd have her videos up before packing for camp and signing off for the summer. Macy wiped her eyes and pressed the play button.

"Hi, Macy."

She jumped back at the face on the screen. She didn't remember taping this.

"You're in the hospital right now, so I thought I'd take the chance to tape you a little message before I give this to Stella for you. I just wanted to say that I'm really happy that we got to meet you this year. We all are.

"I think I am most. I'm so happy I got to meet you, Macy. I'm happy you got to listen to all my stories and I got to listen to all of yours, and I really hope that we can keep it up next year. And don't think that I've forgotten that I owe you a date. I know Nick kind of went to that school dance with you, but that doesn't count. He didn't bring you home either. It looks like we're going to have to set the example for those guys.

"I just... I've been trying to get you to go on a date with me all year, and I've chickened out every time I tried to ask, so I thought maybe this would be easier. I guess it is. And I guess what I'm trying to say, Macy, is that if you're willing to wait, I hope we can be more than friends when I get back. Let's hope you don't meet some amazing athlete at camp that has you fall head over heels for him and ruin my plans."

Macy smiled. She'd neglected to tell Kevin that the camp she would be attending was an all girls camp.

"I'll still text you and stuff. Hopefully you get reception where you're going. So, you'll hear from me soon. Happy summer, Macy. I'll see you when I get back."

Macy smile as the screen went blank.

She couldn't believe there was even a doubt in Kevin's mind. Oh, yes. If there was one thing Macy was sure of, it was that she was definitely willing to wait for Kevin Lucas.


	22. Epilogue: Two months later

**Disclaimer: **Mine! Oh, wait, no, those are just images on the television. Carry on.

Thanks to everyone who followed through with this story. I'd name you all, but I'd be too afraid of forgetting someone. Just know that every one of your reviews and comments made me smile.

* * *

**Epilogue: Two months later**

Macy bounced on the ball of her feet as she pretended to listen to Stella rambling next to her. This was it. This was the day the boys were coming back home, and while all the fan girls were waiting at the firehouse in anticipation of their idols' return, the two girls who actually knew the boys were standing in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the JONAS private jet to land.

There was really no reason to be nervous, Macy told herself for the fiftieth time that morning. It was just the guys. Despite their distance, she had kept in contact with them throughout the summer, listening to and reading Nick's complaints about how much she needed to be around to distract Kevin and to Joe's worries about whether she was alright despite the distance between them.

And then, there had been Kevin. And that was the problem; Kevin had been Kevin. There hadn't been a word about the confession he had left her on video for her, and despite many e-mails, text messages and a few calls, they had remained as they had been all year. Macy could notice some flirtation that had always been there and that she'd never caught onto, but she certainly didn't feel confident enough to say they were now a couple. Really, she had no idea what the day was going to bring.

"Macy, are you even listening to me?" Stella asked with a huff.

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"I like Kevin."

"I know. You're their number one fan. You like all the guys."

Macy shook her head. "No. I really like Kevin."

"You really like... Oh, wait, like you like like Kevin?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. Macy..."

"And he knows."

Though she wasn't looking over at her friend, Macy could just imagine how wide Stella's eyes had already grown from their conversation.

"Wow."

"You said that already."

"Do you think he..."

Macy smiled. "Yeah. I really do."

"Aww, Macy that's... Wait a minute, are you and Kevin going to officially hook up before Joe and I do?"

"Stella, Nick will be married with three kids before you and Joe get married, and you know how picky Nick is."

"That's just mean," Stella answered, crossing her arms in front of her chest and sticking her bottom lip out in a pout. The expression didn't last long as the sight they had been waiting for finally appeared. The boys were home.

Macy balled her hands into fists as she tried to find some way of containing the nervous energy that filled her. The last thing she wanted was to somehow injure the boys right as they were coming home.

The first to reach them was Nick, suitcase in hand and easy grin on his face. He gave Stella a hug, then wrapped his free arm around Macy.

"Thank God. Please get Kevin to shut up. If I have to hear one more story about some talking mammal..."

Macy giggled as Nick walked away from her still mumbling to himself. Summer school might actually have been looking good after being stuck with his two older brothers in a confined space most of the summer.

Joe was next, bouncing toward the girls and stopping suddenly when he spotted Macy. He stuck his arm out to her.

"Good seeing you, Macy."

She shook his hand.

"You too, Joe."

"I hope you were okay, the whole summer without me."

"I survived."

Joe nodded. "I'm going to hug Stella now. I hope you understand."

Macy bit the inside of her cheek and nodded. At least there would always be one person in the world even more hopeless than her.

And then she waited. She watched as Kevin shook hands with some of the crew and other members of the tour that stood outside the plane. He had a few words with each of them, slowly making his way closer and closer to her.

Finally, he was standing in front of her.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"I'm glad you came," Kevin told her, his hand playing with the strap of his bag.

"I was happy to wait."

Kevin smiled at the word.

"You waited?"

Macy nodded, then shrugged. "I waited all year. What was another two months?"

Kevin bit his lip and took a look around them. His eyes fell back on Macy, and it was his turn to shrug.

"I'm sorry I made you wait."

"That's—"

And then his lips were on hers. One year of fawning over Kevin and trying to convince herself that there was nothing there, and here he was, convincing her that that was definitely not true.

There were lips. There were sparks. There was definitely something.

Macy smiled as they broke apart and Kevin took her hand in his, leading her toward the car that was waiting for them.

"So, where do you want to go on our first date? It's got to be good. I made you wait a year, and I'm making up for Joe and Nick's failed dates."

Macy leaned in closer to Kevin and let him lead her away as she thought about the question.

"Wait," Macy heard behind her, tightening her grip on Kevin's hand at the words, "I thought Macy was in love with me."

"You're an idiot, Joe," Nick offered as he leaned against the car, waiting for everyone to be ready to leave.

"Did you know about this?" Joe asked Stella as he chose to ignore his younger brother.

"Nick is going to be married with three kids before we are officially together!"

"Why do I always get dragged into these things?" Nick whined.

Macy rolled her eyes at the noise. She fastened her seatbelt and shifted to face Kevin who sat next to her in the van.

"I don't care what we do or where we go," she told Kevin, "as long as they don't come along."

"I can handle that," Kevin answered with a nod. He smiled at her and pulled her body against his so they could snuggle together on the way home.


End file.
